Former coach places odds against Indonesia's chances
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia's former national volleyball team coach has proclaimed Thailand, which registered its second win on Tuesday, to be the odds-on favorite to beat Indonesia in the ASEAN Men's Junior Volleyball Championship now under way.
"Although as an Indonesian I'm anxious for the team to win the tournament, I would say, as a former coach, that Thailand has a 60-40 chance of defeating Indonesia to win the title," Taher Ali told The Jakarta Post watching Thailand put in another dominating performance over Vietnam at the Bung Karno Basketball Hall.
Comparing the level of skills between Indonesia and Thailand, Taher said the latter's strength lay in its power and solid teamwork.
"The Thai players look conspicuous with their sharp jump serves. That contributes to building points in the game because the opponents are vulnerable to making errors at the receiving end," Taher, who led his women's junior squad to second place back in 1977, said.
"At the other end, not all Indonesia's players use jump serves. And when they do they do not hit as sharp as their Thai rivals. They lob the ball in a curving fashion," he said.
On Tuesday, Thailand needed around an hour to hold off Vietnam's resistance, winning in straight sets 25-15, 25-21, 25- 20. The reigning champion crushed Singapore the day before, also with a 3-0 victory.
The tournament features five of the 10 countries grouped in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The participants play in a round robin system.
Indonesia is scheduled to play Thailand on the final day, which could be the decisive match for the two.
"From game statistics it seems to me that Indonesia must improve on blocking and receiving serves when up against Thailand's dangerous spikes," Taher said.
He singled out Godhom Siwarot, jersey number 16, as one of the outside hitters Indonesian players will have to be wary of.
Kaewwichit Samart and Nalow Terdsak also stood out in front of the net, but on Tuesday it was Siwarot who appeared to be the most outstanding with his 72 percent kill rate.
With the Thailand game probably already being in the coach's work plan, Indonesia will have to overcome Vietnam in Wednesday's fixtures.
Indonesia may look back on their 1988 performance for inspiration when Loudry Maspaitela and Imam Agus Faisal led junior teammates to their only victory.
In the day's other match, Malaysia, made amends for its defeat to Indonesia on Tuesday with a 25-14, 25-14, 25-15 win over winless Singapore.