Buriram improving every week, claims Cooper

AFC – BURIRAM, Buriram United will offer a new challenge to Iran champions Esteghlal in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League with coach Scott Cooper looking forward to the task having moulded the team over the last few months since replacing Atthaphol Puspakom.

The Englishman stepped up to fill the void vacated by Atthaphol’s sudden departure following Buriram’s maiden qualification from the group stage and the former Anguilla and Montserrat national team coach successfully oversaw the last 16 success over two-time semi-finalists Bunyodkor from Uzbekistan.

And with Buriram maintaining their bid to reclaim the domestic title since posting the 2-1 aggregate success over Bunyodkor in May, Cooper is excited by the prospect of facing two-time Asian Club Championship winners Esteghlal having become the first Thai side in a decade to reach the last 16.

“I was the assistant coach before and I was doing around 70% of the coaching on the training ground anyway so it was a simple progression,” said Cooper, who joined Buriram at the start of the season having been involved as an academy coach with Leicester City while he also worked with the England U-15 Schools set-up.

“I changed a few of the set pieces and brought more rhythm to our play and over the months since I took over so it has become more my team, but even before the Bunyodkor game I had two league games and even prior to that I had done around 70% of the coaching so all the team shape was me so there hasn’t really been a big difference.

“We have just tightened things up and I have put my stamp on the team and I think we are a better team each week that goes by, although I wouldn’t say there is a massive difference to what we have done before because I was given free rein on the training ground most of the time anyway.”

Buriram face the potentially daunting task of travelling to the Azadi Stadium in Tehran for the first leg on August 21 before hosting the return fixture four weeks later.

But after Buriram lost just once en route to the quarter-finals following a runner-up finish behind K-League champions FC Seoul in Group E and an impressive goalless draw in Tashkent during the last 16, Cooper is confident his side can maintain their level of performance and continue to follow in the footsteps of 2003 AFC Champions League finalists BEC Tero Sasana.

“They are a tough team who are well supported and they are a great football club, but from our perspective, we are just happy that we have got the second game at home,” said Cooper of Esteghlal.

“The Azadi Stadium is a huge stadium and they are well supported so we know that the atmosphere will be highly charged, but if we can frustrate them and play our game and impose our game on them, the fans can become frustrated too. Sometimes having a lot of fans in a stadium like that can work against you if it doesn’t go your way early on, so we can use it to our advantage as well.

“They have good players in every position and they showed that in the group stage and they then went away in the first leg of the last 16 game and won 4-2 so they are capable of scoring goals. They are organised and athletic and they have individual talent which means we will have to be at our best and we definitely respect them because they are also well coached.”

Cooper has re-organised his squad for the quarter-finals with Philippines international Javier Patino and Spanish duo Bruno Herrero and Jesus Berrocal coming in along with Thai goalkeeper Sornchai Suklom while Japanese striker Kai Hirano, Spaniard Carmelo Gonzalez, Chilean Ramses Bustos and goalkeeper Sirisak Faidong have made way.

Patino, who helped the Philippines qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, has already reached double figures in the Thai Premier League this season while both Herrero and Berrocal arrived midway through the current campaign.

“We have a really good complimentary blend within the squad. We have the right amount of youth and young talent and the right amount of great experience and the international players slot into the positions we really need,” said Cooper.

“We don’t rely on the international players, or the experienced Thai players or the younger players to do something, when they come together the balance and chemistry within the squad is really good.

“We can change the team up how we want as we have variety and options and as a coach it is always good to be able to look at the bench and it gives you opportunities to mix things up and not be so predictable.

“The experienced Thai players are really good and we have some young exciting Thai players coming through as well. Mix that with experienced international players and I think we have got it right.”