PHNOM PENH (9 July 2016) – While defending champions Thailand are confident, Australia are taking a more cautious approach ahead of their challenge in the opening AFF Smart Under-16 Championship which begins tomorrow.
Thailand will only take to the field on 13 July while Australia will start their tournament with the opening game against Myanmar at the Army Stadium in the afternoon.
Australian head coach Antony Vidmar refused to be drawn into a discussion of which team will be his biggest threat, preferring instead to focus on exposure.
“For several of the players, this is the first time that they are going abroad, so it is important that we look to give these young players exposure,” said Vidmar.
“All teams here are capable of being a threat and be difficult if we don’t approach them well. So this tournament is important to give the players the right lesson.”
For Thailand team manager Tanawat Ngalamhin, the two months of preparation has put the team in a positive frame of mind where they will be looking to win their second crown in two years.
“There are no injuries in the squad so definitely, we are in a very good position to do well,” said Tanawat.
“We have been given very good support from the FA of Thailand, so we are looking to do well here naturally to win the title.”
In the meantime, hosts Cambodia have enlisted Japanese Inoue Kazunari to boost the team’s chance of doing well at home in front of their own fans.
Last year, hosts Cambodia failed to make the cut into the semi-finals when they finished fourth in Group B.
“We are playing at home so there is definite expectation for us to do well,” said Inoue.
“It is best that we don’t get ahead of ourselves with the expectations. We just need to be competitive and see how far we can go.”
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“We just want to play the six matches well. We want compete against the rest of the teams here and gauge our level.” – Laos head coach Kaisone Sayavong
“We are in a very good group, so it will not be easy. But we will try our best to make our presence felt.” – Brunei head coach Mohamad Ali
“We are expecting some very good games here. Our target is of course to make the final this time.” – Timor Leste assistant coach Ali Susanto
“We have prepared the team as well as we could. Now we will see how they fare in this competition.” – Myanmar head coach Nyi Nyi Latt
“Our target is to improve on our standing from last year. That is the main target.” – Philippines head coach Jose Aberasturi
“We have had a good preparation, so we are definitely looking forward to this tournament.” – Malaysia head coach P. Somasundram
“We respect all our opponents. But we will be using this tournament to see how much progress our players have made.” – Vietnam head coach Dinh The Nam
“It will be a challenge for sure to be in this group as we are up against several strong teams.” – Singapore head coach Nazri Nasir
