Focus Shifts to Persib for Thom Haye Following National Team Championship Title
Persib midfielder Thom Haye admitted that the FIFA ASEAN Cup title he achieved with the Indonesian National Team does not carry significant weight now that he has returned to Persib. Haye feels there is a distinct difference in focus when playing for the national team compared to his club.
At first glance, Haye assumed that winning the FIFA ASEAN Cup would provide an extra boost to his spirit upon returning to Persib. However, the euphoria surrounding the national team cannot be fully transferred to Persib, which is currently maintaining a sharp focus on its own campaign.
Nevertheless, he expressed immense pride in the achievement, knowing how long the Indonesian public had been waiting for the title. As for Persib, the team is just at the beginning of its journey, with many possibilities lying ahead in the future.
“There is no extra motivation. But of course, I am very happy because we achieved victory with the national team—something we are deeply proud of, and hopefully, we made many people proud as well. However, the national team and the club are two completely different situations,” Thom Haye stated.
While with the national team, Haye fully concentrates on following the directions of head coach John Herdman. Once that assignment is over, however, he must immediately shift his attention back to Persib and carry out the instructions set by Igor Tolic.
“So it’s always like that: when you join the national team, you focus there, and when you come back, there is only one thing on your mind, and that is Persib again,” Haye explained.
The former Lecce player added that he does not want to dwell too long on the national team’s title euphoria. He has already set his sights on the upcoming match against Dewa United and is fully prepared to achieve the target victory.
“We had fun, we enjoyed it, but just a few days later we were already playing in Bangkok, and now the sole focus is tomorrow’s match,” he concluded.
