Last night Buriram United clinched their fifth league title with a 4-0 thumping of Police Tero. This is probably their greatest achievement as they overturned Muang Thong’s initial big lead to leave their bitter rivals struggling in their wake.
They did it without having a lot of “star names” in their squad and all of them deserve praise, including the coaching staff.
The feeling of elation is a far cry from the dark days at the beginning of the season when their “Strike Back” battle cry seemed laughable. They appeared clueless in attack and the defence was all over the place,conceding sloppy goals.
Muang Thong won their first seven games and it seemed they would run away with the league. However, when they visited Thunder Castle, they came up against a very different Buriram.
The home side tore into them from the first whistle and fully deserved their 2-0 victory. It showed that Muang Thong were beatable and self-belief began to creep in. Coelho started scoring goals and he continued to do so for the rest of the season.
He looks lazy and ungainly sometimes and he has missed a lot of chances but he has the knack of being in the right place at the right time, a sign of a good striker. A lot of his goals have been easy finishes but he has also scored brilliant ones as well.
Every successful season seems to have a pivotal point and this one was no exception. The return of Andres Tunez was an inspirational move. He galvanized the defence into an effective unit and his performances week in, week out have been outstanding. He has been a completely different player from the one that left Buriram under a cloud.
One of the unsung heroes of the side is Siwarak. He has hardly put a foot wrong all season and he has made many incredible saves at crucial times in matches. In a good number of games he has been a spectator as Buriram dominated the play. But such is his high level of concentration, when called into action he was up to the challenge.
Diogo remains Buriram’s most potent attacker and when he is on his game, there is no holding him. However, he has had a couple of injuries and to their credit, Buriram battled their way to victory without him in a number of games.
The midfield has been a problem all season with the management not seeming to know their best line-up. Seul-Ki excepted, he has been outstanding. It is something that must be addressed quickly and Supachok and Anon need to be given the chance to establish themselves playing together.
Let us also not forget coach Bozidar Bandovic. He took over at a difficult time and has to have been instrumental in Buriram’s success.
When you compare the squads of Buriram and Muang Thong there is no doubt that the latter’s is far superior man for man. So why have Muang Thong slipped up in so many matches, given the players they have at their disposal
The answer lies in attitude and togetherness. The way Muang Thong players and management conduct themselves is disgraceful. They appear to think they can bully officials and that they are beyond the laws of the game.
What they lack and what Buriram have is togetherness, they win as a team and they lose as a team. They fight for each other and this has been true of all Buriram’s teams. Macena stressed this when we talked about Buriram’s unbeaten domestic season.
This is a unique club. I have been involved in football for sixty years and have never witnessed anything like it. The bond between club and supporters is remarkable. Granted, the gates can be disappointing but this a nationwide situation.
There is a great pride here, the people love their city and their club. This is demonstrated every game when Buriram supporters stand to sing about the city of Buriram. Nowhere else in the world is this done and I find it a very moving experience every time I hear it.
I believe this spreads to the players. They are not just playing for money, they are all playing for Buriram United. This is Buriram’s real strength and the reason they have managed to overcome a number of hurdles this season.
Having said all this, we have to look to the future. Players will leave and the huge challenge of the Champions League beckons once again. New blood will have to be brought in, but for now let’s bask in the glory of an incredible season.
One thing that should not be forgotten is the Buriram Academy which is going from strength to strength. Buriram’s young players have had great success this season and hopefully we will see some of them breaking into the first team in the near future.