Socceroos legend Aurelio Vidmar believes Australia will be too good for Thailand in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Melbourne on Tuesday

SOCCEROOS legend Aurelio Vidmar’s 12 months in Thai club football has seen him coach against the men threatening to ruin Australia’s FIFA World Cup road to Russia on Tuesday.

Socceroo Tim Cahill training at AAMI Park on Monday. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

SOCCEROOS legend Aurelio Vidmar’s 12 months in Thai club football has seen him coach against the men threatening to ruin Australia’s FIFA World Cup road to Russia on Tuesday.

The former Bangkok Glass boss could have been the Socceroos’ most useful informant before the Socceroos host Thailand in a crunch World Cup qualifier in Melbourne but the ex-assistant Australia coach said no contact had been made by national team officials.

Vidmar believes Australia will win said but it must be patient before facing a side which is technically very good and also has absolutely nothing to lose.

Thailand is bottom of Group B with two points, which included a 2-2 draw with Australia last year.

Aurelio Vidmar presented with his Bangkok Glass shirt after he was announced as coach of the Thai club.

“They’re technically strong and have strong players individually,’’ Vidmar said.

“If Thailand go for them (attack) it will work in Australia’s favour but if they sit back (defend) it will take time to break them down.

“Australia is a different class to Thailand.

“The new coach now (Serbian) Milovan Rajevac has them playing a lot better defensively than they were previously.

“Their defence has never been their strength but they do have an attacking flair.

“That’s what they want to do, usually attack all the time and think second in terms of making the defence a priority.

“The new coach has tried to make the change instil defensive concentration because they were leaking so many goals.

“But I was quite surprised that when they played Australia in Thailand last November they actually surprised me by pushing further upfield and put them (Socceroos) under pressure.

“That night there it worked for them.”

The former Adelaide United coach is back in Adelaide on a sabbatical after he was sacked by Bangkok Glass in July in acrimonious circumstances.

The relationship was strained when Vidmar was regularly challenged by club officials over his selections and tactics during matches where text messages were sent to the bench demanding instant action. This came after he was named by league officials as the best coach for the first part of the season this year.

Thailand player Chanathip Songkrasin is the danger man for the Socceroos, according to Aurelio Vidmar. Picture: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

But Vidmar’s not short on offers with an SA NPL club also putting out its feelers to snare the revered boss who has a 100 per cent perfect record in charge of the Socceroos.

Australia belted Canada 3-0 away in his only game in charge after Holger Osieck was sacked in 2013 before Vidmar’s national teams contract wasn’t renewed last year.

But Vidmar believes if Australia doesn’t pay special attention to Chanathip Songkrasin (Consodole Sapporo, Japan) they may be in trouble.

“He’s just a very tricky player, he can dribble past players quite easily,’’ Vidmar said.

“Their captain Teerasil Dangda he’s a player technically strong and he know where the goals are.

“But it also depends where he plays, he plays as a winger and tends to drift inside.

“He’s one that can be out of the game for a long time but he can get one opportunity and he will score.”

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Originally published as Socceroos legend Aurelio Vidmar believes Australia will be too good for Thailand in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Melbourne on Tuesday