Suphanburi FC winger Jakkapan Pornsai was back at his best for Thailand against Singapore in last week's friendly and says he is eager to see teammate Charyl Chappuis back as soon as possible.
The 27-year-old winger earned a recall to the Thai national team, playing an integral role in the War Elephants' 2-0 victory over the Singaporeans last Thursday in Korat.
Having dazzled for Suphanburi in the Thai Premier League (TPL) this season, Jakkapan was pleased with his first game under Kiatisuk Senamuang and has vowed to play at a higher level once he gets to know his teammates better.
He told ESPN FC: "I'm happy with my performance but I can still improve. I have never worked with coach [Kiatisuk Senamuang] before so I must adapt to his tactics and style of play and try to translate my club form to the national team. Everyone is new to me. I have not played with the strikers and even right-back before so more time is needed to gel."
Agreeing with Jakkapan's assessment of their performance against arch rivals Singapore was coach Kiatisuk. He saw a lot of positives in his team despite bringing in a host of new faces for the friendlies against Singapore and Cameroon.
"We have eight new players for these games but we play to win every match." said the Thai legend. "I thought some of the players did well while others need more time to get used to the system. We will see who are the best players for the World Cup qualifiers but my style is to play as a team and we should not have any superstars at all. Together, we can get results."
While his international recall was expected by fans and pundits alike after his scintillating start to the TPL season, Jakkapan refused to get carried away. He has already scored four goals in the opening five TPL matches, the same tally as he had for the entire 2014 season.
"We have a good team this season. We brought Carmelo Gonzalez from Buriram [United] and Brazilian striker Andre Luis to the club. Both have great quality and good touch. And their style of play is the reason for helping me score a lot and do well."
As for his target for his club this season, the stylish midfielder wants his teammates to keep their heads down and continue to work hard. They're sitting comfortably in third spot in the TPL with 11 points after an unbeaten record of three wins and two draws.
He declared: "A top three spot is our target but we must keep on pushing. Our game plan is to improve step by step and treat each game like a Cup final to maintain our momentum. Good start for us so far and we have to keep it up."
New coach Sergio Faris is finding the correct formula on the pitch to get the Suphan fans flooding into the stadium. The club have the third highest crowd average this season at an impressive 33,232 per game.
But Jakkapan reckons the return of his close friend can elevate Suphanburi's performance to a brand new level.
"Everyone at the club is waiting for Chappuis [Charyl] to be back from injury. We miss him and he is a key player for us. Once he returns, we will all be together again and it will make us stronger. I can't wait to see him back in action and hopefully, that will help us even more in our goal to finish top three." added Jakkapan.
Chappuis, who underwent a knee operation three weeks ago, has not tasted action since helping Thailand win the AFF Suzuki Cup back in December.
The Swiss-born playmaker is expected to make a return in two months' time but with the likes of Jakkapan, Lee Seung-hee and Pratum Chuthong in good form, coach Farias wants to give Chappuis enough time to make a proper recovery.
The Thai Premier League will resume next weekend after the War Elephants' friendly against Cameroon in Bangkok on Monday.