The Buriram head coach said before the match that he is still trying out players in different positions which suggests he still does not know his strongest side with only three weeks to go to the start of the season.
He started this match with three at the back. Pansa on the right, Kanu in the centre and Koravit on the left.Korrakot and Sakeereen played out wide with Jakkaphan and Barambee in the centre of midfield. Sittichok played up front, wide right with the dangerous Coutinho supporting Diogo .
The first-half was a useful workout, the Army team had certainly come to compete. Buriram had plenty of possession but Barambee in particular was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply.
Buriram took the lead in the17th minute when Coutinho latched on to a through ball and accelerated into the box,only to be hacked down from behind.
Diogo dispatched the resultant penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way. Six minutes later Coutinho went on another explosive run after picking the ball up in a deep position but was denied by the keeper.
This player is going to cause defences major problems and he and Diogo are already forming a great understanding.
Buriram continued to dominate the game but rarely troubled the keeper very much in the remainder of the half.
The home side made two substitutions during the interval, Supachok for the ineffective Sittichok and Maikami for the disappointing Baramee.
Buriram upped the tempo in the second-half and the visitors’ defence was struggling to cope with the pace of Buriram’s attacks.
They increased their lead in the 50th minute when Korrakot sent over an inswinging corner from the right which Pansa met with a downward header.
It was three 4 minutes later when Coutinho’s persistence won him the ball in the left of the penalty area and he looked up to pick out Diogo with a low cross and the striker gratefully accepted the invitation to score from close range.
That was the end of the scoring and Buriram’s fluency was affected by five further substitutions. However, one those substitutes looks interesting.
When Putsorn came on he didn’t have a great influence on the game but sometimes you look at a player and see something there. There’s just something about him and I look forward to seeing more of him.
With the loss of Tunez, Buriram may struggle at the back. Kanu may not be the answer as he does not appear to be the commanding figure every good team needs in the centre of defence.
Koravit would be a better bet and there’s always the problem of being caught on the break playing three at the back. Playing Koravit and Kanu together in a back four may be a better bet.
Sittichok again showed he is not in the same league as Supachok and Supachai and should find himself way down the pecking order.