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'Tisoy' can shake up Thailand's title defense bid says coach

By Ivan Saldajeno

SAN JUAN, MM--With Thailand, the defending champion of the Southeast Asian Games men's football event, currently tied with Indonesia for second place in Group B with two matchdays left, the team only has little, if not none at all, room for errors especially with the kind of system Akira Nishino is instilling.

However, the Japanese coach said that he and his team will have to deal with Typhoon "Tisoy" as it can shake up their chance to defend their title.

Thailand will be facing Laos on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. However, the storm is also expected to landfall on that day with Metro Manila and Laguna among the provinces to be hit heavily.

With Rizal Memorial likely to be heavily soaked in water on Tuesday, a change in tactics could be set for Nishino.

"Our style of play is a passing [game]. If the storm comes, we have to adjust our way to play," Nishino said.

Laos is actually still in the playoff hunt as it is just two points behind both Thailand and Indonesia for the second spot.

Only the top two teams from each group will enter the semifinals, making the Thailand-Laos match very important.

Also on Tuesday, Indonesia battles Brunei at the Binan Football Stadium and Singapore takes on Vietnam in the nightcap of the Rizal Memorial twinbill.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno