Courtesy: FIFA.com


Thueanklang: We definitely have a chance

Saturday 10 November 2012

When coaches are interviewed, usually they take great pains to underline the fact that the key to their success lies in team spirit. Speak to Victor Hermans however, who is in charge of the Thai national futsal team, and when the name Suphawut Thueanklang comes up, it soon becomes very clear that the No9 for the hosts of the FIFA Futsal World Cup is someone special.

"Suphawut is the real star of our team," Hermans told FIFA.com. "He is a very clever player and one who is easy to work with. But off the pitch he is just a regular young lad. I am amazed that he plays here in Thailand and not abroad. He's two-footed and he has a real winning mentality. I'm sure that he'll soon be finding his way over to Europe to play for one of the big clubs there."

High praise indeed, so we decided to find out for ourselves just what Suphawut is like. We caught up with the 23-year-old at the end of Thailand's final training session before the Round of 16 match against European champions Spain, and asked him about how he likes to play and what he hopes to achieve.

FIFA.com: Suphawut, it was touch and go as to whether Thailand would qualify for the Round of 16. How do you feel after the group stages and all the drama?
Suphawut Thueanklang: I'm delighted that we're through to the second phase of the World Cup. It was our aim and one that we've been working towards for more than a year. Now we can look forward to the next match.

What does the national futsal team's success mean to people in Thailand? The whole country seems to be cheering you on.
It means a great deal to people in my home country. They were really hoping that we would make it through to the knock-out stage. We're very much in the public eye since all the fans are watching us. And any success we have makes our supporters happy.

The round of 16 will see you take on European champions Spain. What are you hoping for from this match against one of the FIFA Futsal World Cup favourites?
We definitely have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals. The main advantage that we have is that we will be playing at home, in front of our own fans. We're definitely going to give it more than 100 per cent, and if we do that, anything is possible.

You are widely accepted as being the best player in the Thai team. How do you see your role within the squad?
I know that everyone is expecting a lot from me, but when I pull my home country's jersey on, I just go out there to do my job and give it my all in every match. And I'll be doing the same against Spain, and hopefully this will help the whole team to be successful.

You are currently plying your trade in Thailand but your excellent performances at the FIFA Futsal World Cup are making you the focus of some attention. What are your personal goals as far as your career is concerned?
My dream is one day to play futsal professionally in Europe. I've already played in Iran but I'd like to take the next step now and head over to Europe.

On the pitch we've come to know you as a free-flowing, technically very gifted player. What kind of person are you off the pitch?
I'm a very open and friendly type of guy who gets on well with everyone. I like chatting to people and enjoy sharing my futsal skills with kids. It's a real thrill for me to be able to pass on my experience to youngsters.

Watching the Thai team at this FIFA Futsal World Cup is certainly very entertaining. How would you describe the team's playing style?
Our squad is made up of very young players who are taking part in their first World Cup. We're trying to be solid in defence and then launch dangerous counter-attacks. At the moment, we're looking a little inexperienced in certain situations, and this is causing us to make mistakes that opponents at this level will punish.

Victor Hermans, who is a very experienced coach, thinks extremely highly of you. How important is it to have a coach like him ahead of the match against Spain?
Our coach will prepare the match against Spain right down to the last detail. He sets great store by making sure that we are well organised in defence and then gradually try to work our way forwards.

Is there anything that you would like to say to the fans before what is perhaps the most important match of your career, against Spain?
I hope that our fans will be there to fill the stadium against Spain. I think that the capacity is 7,000, and I hope that all the seats will be taken when I come out onto the pitch. If we can feel the crowd fully behind us, then I think that we'll have a chance of beating Spain.





Courtesy: FIFA.com


Garcias: Argentina aren't a two-man squad

Saturday 10 November 2012

"We knew that we had more to lose than to win in this match, but we weren't expecting what happened to Matias (Lucuix). That really affected us. He's a friend first and foremost as well as being a team-mate. There's no way I was expecting to lose our top player for the rest of the World Cup. Even the fact that we qualified was no consolation."

Speaking to FIFA.com, winger Hernan Garcias captured the sombre mood within the Argentinean camp after their match against Australia in Group D of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012. After Lucuix fractured his tibia and fibula, the rest of the squad were in no mood to celebrate the 7-1 victory which saw them through to the Round of 16.

Garcias nevertheless managed to remain objective, no doubt thanks to the enormous experience that the 34-year-old, who plays domestic futsal for Asti in Italy, has gleaned over four FIFA Futsal World Cups. "We knew that the game was ours for the taking and that's no doubt why we didn't go into it in the right frame of mind," he said in what was a very the lucid analysis of the match.

"Sure, we scored a lot of goals, but even despite what happened, the match should have been a lot more straightforward. In any case, I'm sure we won't make the same mistake again," said the man who notched La Albiceleste's fifth goal.


"What happened" referred not only to the injury to Lucuix but also the fact that Argentina will be without Cristian Borruto for their Round of 16 match against Serbia after the striker picked up a second yellow card against the Futsalroos. "That's another big hole we'll have to fill," said Garcias. "Cristian is one of the best forwards in the world and he would have been ideal for us against a defence that can be a little slow at times. But we're not a two-man squad. We need to pull together and make the most of the strengths we have within the group."

"We know them pretty well," said the Argentinean No8 of the Serbians. "They're very physical, like all European teams, and it's all well and good watching them and saying that; when you actually play them, it's a different matter. You soon realise just how tough they are when you get on the pitch with them, so we'll have to steer clear of any contact that can be avoided."

The wily winger also thinks that mental preparation will play a big role. "It's the first time that we're playing a round of 16 match. Previously, the second group phase gave us a little margin for error and meant that we could always make up for a bad match. That's no longer the case, and the new format will create a different kind of tension, and this is where experienced players will have to step up to the plate."

The only other players in Thailand who are at their fourth FIFA Futsal World Cup are similarly big names within the sport, namely Falcao, Franklin, Joao Benedito and Kike. Garcias' goal against Australia meant that he became the third player to score at four different World Cups, putting him alongside legends Fininho and Manoel Tobias.

"Each World Cup has a different atmosphere," said Garcias, who despite being a Boca Juniors supporter joined rivals River Plate before going to play in the Italian futsal championship. "The difference for me is that before, I used to pay a lot less attention to things. Nowadays my responsibilities are different, but the pride in the shirt is the same."

When asked to compare squads from different years, Garcias has no hesitation. "This team is obviously not as strong as the 2008 one because back then, we had incredible competition. But the lads in the squad this time around are better than we were at the same age, so this generation really has a bright future ahead of it."

To conclude the interview, we asked Garcias about how he saw the rest of the tournament panning out. "There's not a lot to say," he said. "Argentina are coming into form and we could beat anyone on any given day but also lose against anyone. At the moment, we can't look any further than the match against Serbia."




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Pride over pain for departing teams

Saturday 10 November 2012

Every tournaments has its upsets, and Thailand 2012 has been no exception. Yet if there was one genuine shock to emerge from the group phase of this FIFA Futsal World Cup, it was that it concluded without a single heart broken.

The tears and desolation that normally accompany first-round exits were conspicuous by their absence, with the final group games somehow managing to provide almost everyone with cause for satisfaction. Even teams eliminated in the cruellest of circumstances, such as Kuwait – who were heading through until Czech Republic snatched a late draw – found reason to be cheerful.

They could, after all, reflect on securing their nation’s first-ever win at a World Cup, secured in style with a swashbuckling attacking display against Egypt. That, as their Spanish coach, Luis Fonseca explained, was why the match ended with high-fives being exchanged rather than consolatory hugs. “It was a great experience for my players to play on such a fantastic stage, and we have learnt a lot of important lessons,” he said. “We will now look to use these experiences to improve the level of the game in Kuwait.”

The learning of important lessons was a recurring theme among the teams heading for home, with Morocco coach Hicham Dguig able to pinpoint specific areas for improvement. “We learned that we weren’t psychologically ready to play against big teams, and we also found out that we were not in a good enough physical condition,” he said. “In future, we will focus on those two areas.”

Nguig’s Australia counterpart, Steven Knight, also departed Thailand with psychology uppermost in his mind. “Going forward, our players need to believe they can play this game in the right way,” he explained. “The problem is that we don’t normally get to compete at this level because we’re on the other side of the world from the best teams, so it has been a great to play against and learn from the likes of Italy and Argentina.”

Australia did at least depart with a win under their belts, having beaten Mexico 3-1 ] for their first victory at a FIFA Futsal World Cup in two decades. But even their victims that day were to be found stressing the positive, with their coach enthusing about the experience of rubbing shoulders with the game’s elite. “What's really amazed me has been the rhythm and precision some of these teams play with,” said Ramon Raya. “With Italy, for example, it was a real pleasure just to be on the same pitch.”

With Costa Rica coach, Diego Solis, left describing the tournament as a “good experience”, and Libya’s Pablo Prieto stressing its importance for his team’s development, it was difficult to find anyone with a negative word to say. And the last place to look would have been the Solomon Islands dressing room, where elimination was followed by a raucous party. The reason, of course, was a memorable and historic win over Guatemala, the Kurukuru’s first at the FIFA Futsal World Cup.

“We’ve already had a lot of texts from back home. People are going wild,” said Dickson Kadau, the Solomons coach. “It was a great victory for our nation, and we will remember this tournament for a long time.”




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Mentality key to newcomers’ success

Saturday 10 November 2012

For many nations, qualifying for a World Cup is success in itself. Yet although that is especially true of teams that have never before competed at this exalted level, it comes with an inherent danger.

The risk, as understandable as it is inevitable, is that they settle, failing to raise their sights beyond merely taking part. Here at Thailand 2012, three FIFA Futsal World Cup debutants have refused to succumb to that temptation.

Though no-one would have criticised Colombia, Panama or Serbia for bowing out bravely, all three have battled their way through to the round of 16, and the Europeans advanced as group winners. For Serbia coach Aca Kovacevic, the basis for that achievement was arriving at the tournament not as wide-eyed newcomers, but as a team with belief and a clear purpose.

“Although being here was already a success for us, winning the group was not a total surprise,” he told FIFA.com. “In fact, that was our goal all along. This might be our first time at this tournament, but Serbia have participated in every major futsal competition since 2006 except for the 2008 World Cup.”

A similar mindset was evidently preached by the Colombia coach, although Areny Fonnegra admitted that even his pre-tournament expectations had been surpassed. As he explained: “Prior to the tournament, we felt we had a chance of going through to the second round. But we thought we would do it as one of the best third-placed teams, not by finishing second. So this achievement is very satisfying. It’s nice to know that we’re giving joy to our country by making a bit of history.”

Panama, drawn in a group with futsal powerhouses Spain and Iran, arrived in Thailand with a more modest outlook. Yet it seems that tasting success in the group phase has merely whetted their players’ appetite for a great deal more.

“I would be lying if I tell you I am not a little bit surprised of how thing turned for us,” admitted Miguel Lasso, the team’s No9. “We believed in ourselves but this was our first World Cup, so we were not 100 per cent sure about what we would face. But now that we are through, we want to go as far as possible. Playing in the final would be nice!”

Now that really would be something, particularly when one considers that Panama have been rewarded for reaching the last 16 with a match against the holders. “They are one of the best teams in the world, and probably the best Brazilian team ever,” acknowledged Lasso. “But they are men just like us. With God’s help, we can win.”

Serbia, meanwhile, will hope to benefit not from divine intervention, but from the absence in Argentina’s side of two world-class players in Matias Lucuix and Cristian Burruto. “I was very sorry to see what happened to the No3,” said Kovacevic, referring to Luicuix’s double leg-break. “But even though two of their best player won’t play, we expect Argentina to be as competitive as always. It will be an interesting match to watch.”

Colombia’s meeting with Iran promises to be a similarly intriguing affair, and Fonnegra is confident that he has spotted a key weakness in the west Asians’ armoury. He said: “If you compare Iran to Russia, the Iranian players are a bit slower, so the idea will be to utilise the speed and technical ability of our players. The key elements to the game for us will be concentration, composure and lots of patience.”

Whether Colombia and their fellow newcomers will make it through to the last eight remains to be seen. But there is one certainty: there will be no resting on laurels.




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Favourites, debutants eye last eight

Saturday 10 November 2012

The last four quarter-final slots are up for grabs on 12 November, and the teams fighting it out for them include a couple of tournament debutants and some pre-tournament favourites. Formidable futsal powers like Italy, Russia and Brazil will certainly be wary of slipping up in their first knockout matches of Thailand 2012, while rivals such as Czech Republic and Panama – having already met expectations – can go into the fixtures unburdened by pressure and expectation.

Match of the day
Serbia-Argentina, Bangkok, Huamark Indoor Stadium, November 2012, 21.00 (local time)

A clash between South America's top team in qualifying and a team of FIFA Futsal World Cup debutants would normally be seen as having only one likely winner. However, with Argentina severely weakened by injury and suspension, and Serbia emerging as one of the revelations of the group phase, this encounter has become considerably tougher to call.

The Serbia coach, Aca Kovacevic, has predicted that the sides’ similar styles of play will make for an intriguing match-up, and indications are that fans at the Huamark Indoor Stadium could be in for a treat.

Other highlights
Brazil’s match against Panama has a more defined favourite, and it would rank as a massive upset if the holders were to be eliminated by a team participating in its first FIFA World Cup.

Egypt, too, having lost two of their three matches thus far, will be clear underdogs against an impressive Italy side who emerged from the group phase without dropping a single point.

There is also an all-European clash, with Czech Republic aiming to unsettle a Russian side that, having made no secret of their desire to challenge for the title, go into the last 16 on the back of a near-flawless group campaign.

Player to watch
Argentina’s successful passage through the group stage came at a heavy cost, with Matias Lucuix suffering a double leg-break and Cristian Burruto picking up a suspension. Deprived of two of the world’s finest players, La Albiceleste need a new talisman, and Alan Calo – impressive throughout the group phase – looks the most likely candidate.

The stat
27 – The number of goals scored by Russia in their first three matches at Thailand 2012, comfortably establishing them as the highest scorers of the group phase. With no goals conceded, the eastern Europeans emerged from their section with an average scoreline of 9-0.

The words
“I believe it was our destiny to meet Italy in the round of 16. Our last meeting was a friendly and they were at home, but they only managed to beat us 2-1. Nonetheless, they will definitely be tough opponents because they have several players who are among the best in the world,” Egypt coach Badr Khalil.

The schedule
Italy-Egypt (Nakhon Ratchasima, Korat Chatchai Hall, 16.00)
Russia-Czech Republic (Bangkok, Huamark Indoor Stadium, 18.30)
Brazil-Panama (Nakhon Ratchasima, Korat Chatchai Hall, 18.30)
Serbia-Argentina (Bangkok, Huamark Indoor Stadium, 21.00)
(All kick-off times are local)






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com