Samut Prakan City fan, Phil Williams recently watched his team play against our next opponents. Here he gives us the lowdown on what we can expect from top flight new boys, Nongbua Pichaya.
What are Nong Bua's strengths?
I honestly didn’t see any. They worked hard and huffed and puffed, especially in the second half, but any team will have good spells in a match.
And their weaknesses?
There was a general lack of quality all over the pitch. They didn’t have a single player who stood out as a potential game changer.
Which of their players impressed you?
None of them. Obviously we needed to keep on eye on Soares after his two goals against Nakhon Ratchisima, but frankly, we never gave him a kick. The Israeli midfielder, Mahan Rahmani, is a feisty character. He got booked in the first half and was lucky to avoid a second yellow later on for a bad challenge on Eliandro.
How do you think they will fare this season?
I’ve seen one or two of our regular Thai football pundits tip them for a swift return to the second tier and I wouldn’t argue with that. I certainly think they’re in for a long, hard season.
What are your expectations for our match against them?
I’ve only caught glimpses of your first two games but it already feels like a much stronger Chonburi side than last season. This will be a very comfortable home win for the sharks. I’ll go for 3-0.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Nongbua’s first match – the 2-0 home win against Nakhon Ratchisima – was played on a ridiculously waterlogged pitch and the game was a lottery. You couldn’t read much into that victory and Nakhon Ratchisima were unlucky in a way to face those sort of conditions. Against Samut Prakan, the pitch had dried out, it was a much better playing surface, and we could play our passing game. We didn’t even have to play that well to get the three points if truth be told.
No comments:
Post a Comment