19:00 My Dinh Stadium, Vietnam - Thailand: Bring 'Thai Messi' here!

Nearly 5 months have passed since the “first half” of the big match at Rajamangala, but captain striker Le Cong Vinh still cannot swallow the sarcastic smile of Chanathip Songkrasin, who is known as the “Thai Messi”, when the home team retreated into the tunnel.

Will Cong Vinh and his teammates have a chance to celebrate in tonight's match? Photo: VSI

“I will never forget Chanathip's smirk,” Cong Vinh shared.

Static control dynamic…

Although it is difficult to swallow the defeats against Thailand in the past and present, most of us have to admit that they have been and are one level above Vietnam in terms of the concept of class in football. 8 years ago, Vietnam won 3-2 after 2 final matches of the AFF Cup 2008, which was simply a knot, but could not say the nature of the difference between the two football backgrounds.

“Back then, in addition to having a strong army, Coach Calisto had very scientific calculations. Playing against Thailand in Rajamangala, we used static to control dynamic, meaning we gave them the stage and succeeded. The same was true in the second leg at My Dinh, when the team was leading 2-1. I believe Coach Miura will come up with a solution in this rematch,” continued Cong Vinh, the hero of the Vietnamese team in the 1-1 draw with Iraq.

While Thailand had a hard-fought and lucky 2-2 draw, the Vietnamese team was considered to have drawn in a winning position against the Gulf representative at My Dinh Stadium a few days ago. That result did not come naturally, but required reasonable calculations. Iraq could not play to their best ability because the home team had reached a reasonable level of tactics. The Vietnamese team almost won all 3 points.

Regarding the defensive organization, although there was some sloppiness in the early minutes of the match when Tien Duy and Tien Thanh played together for the first time in a big match, the support came very promptly, from the midfield and even the strikers. Before setting the ambition to overcome the opponent, we must avoid conceding goals and especially, not allowing to lose people, like the match against Thailand in Rajamangala. That is the principle.

Or play public offense?

When we push the team to press, fighting for every square meter of the pitch, it also means that the team is ready to consume a lot of physical strength. And we can also have accidents with penalty cards. According to statistics, Coach Miura's students committed 27 fouls at Rajamangala in May 2015, receiving 4 yellow cards and 1 red card (Minh Chau 2 yellow cards). To many people, that is ugly football. But does the team have another choice?

Huy Hung and Duy Manh continue to be the "lungs" of the team, that seems to be natural. There is also a sense of wonder, why and how, coach Miura arranged for Hong Quan to start, instead of Van Quyet or any other name. Mr. Miura clearly knows the limitations in finishing and independent combat of Hong Quan, but this striker is very energetic to participate in supporting defense from a distance.

Losing Xuan Thanh at the last minute (due to suspension) is certainly a disadvantage, because Thanh is the most experienced player in the back four. However, Coach Miura can also come up with similar solutions from Mai Tien Thanh or another teammate at B.Binh Duong, Dang Van Robert. Basically, if we continue to operate with the same mechanism as the confrontation with Iraq, we have a chance to win.

Playing offensively against offensively is a risky move, because Thailand has enough players who are very good at solving the final situation. Just with a significant improvement in physical strength, as what happened in the draw with Iraq, is not enough to take the risk. Ignoring the pressure of home field, which means being forced to attack to not only gain the right to self-determination but also to serve the audience, the Vietnamese team will have a chance. Otherwise...

According to TT&VH