3 issues that the Vietnam National Team needs to solve before the second leg of the AFF Cup final

In Bangkok, "Harimau Malaya" (the nickname of the Malaysian team) was led by Thailand twice and equalized twice. After 25 minutes of carelessness on the "fire pan" of Bukit Jalil, they were punished with 2 goals but in the end, they once again found a special weapon to defeat a famously solid Vietnamese defense.

That shows that things are not simple at My Dinh Stadium when the two teams meet again for the third time in this AFF Cup. Our team has 3 major problems that have been exposed in the knockout matches.

1.What is happening to the defense that kept a clean sheet after 4 group stage matches? The answer is dead ball situations. Looking back at 3 matches in the knockout round, the Vietnam team has conceded 4 goals, 3 of which came from dead ball situations. That is 1 goal from a direct free kick, 1 goal from an indirect free kick, 1 goal from a corner kick.

Malaysia is very good at setting up situations where people dive to get free kicks in front of Vietnam's 16.5m area. Photo: Trung Kien

The remaining goal came from a situation where the home players of the Philippines cut the left wing, suddenly accelerated and crossed the ball inside. It was a basic attack, but if he did not take advantage of the position, goalkeeper Van Lam would have had to go into the net to pick up the ball. Those basic mistakes are easy to say but not easy to correct, especially when there is not much time to prepare for the second leg.

This can be explained by the fact that the level of the Philippines and Malaysia players is higher than the other teams in the group stage. The remaining physical strength of the Vietnamese players in general and the defense in particular has decreased significantly after 7 rounds.

Up to now, Vietnam's defense has had the most playing time in this AFF Cup. But it is impossible not to mention that the Vietnamese team's zonal defense is having problems.

Remember that both the Philippines and Malaysia are very good at setting up situations where people dive to get free kicks in front of Vietnam’s 16.5m area. Not only the national team but also the U23 and Olympic Vietnam teams have “fallen into this trap”.

Over the years, we have lost many times to regional opponents, in addition to the Thai players, Malaysia and Indonesia, even though we have many regional-class defenders like Huu Thang, Quoc Trung, Huy Hoang.

2.The competitive mentality is also an issue that cannot be overlooked. Fans have seen Duy Manh, Van Hau and goalkeeper Lam "Tay" have moments of not controlling their emotions. Until now, no one dares to affirm that playing at My Dinh Stadium is easier than Bukit Jalil Stadium. The pressure from friends, relatives and the heat of the Vietnamese media is weighing heavily on the players' legs and they need to calm down and avoid unnecessary anger.

Never before have Vietnamese fans had such high expectations. Unlike Thailand, the Philippines left the game and their press barely mentioned it. 23 of Malaysia's biggest newspapers also did not mention much about the 2-2 result at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

But the Vietnamese media is different, the keyword “team” with the names “Van Duc, Quang Hai”… is all over the newspapers and social networks. The pressure after many failures of the Vietnamese teams in the past on the players’ shoulders is inevitable.

The physical strength of Vietnamese players has shown signs of decline. Photo: Trung Kien

3.Physical strength declines, that is a fact. For a tournament that lasts about a month and has up to 8 matches, it has never been easy for Vietnamese players. Our level has not surpassed the regional level to be able to confidently rotate and rest the pillars. It is easy to see that Van Duc, Duy Hau and to some extent Quang Hai have been exhausted in the last 15 minutes of recent matches.

Football is a sport in which physical strength plays an extremely important role. The physical condition of the Malaysian players is something we have proven through 2 clashes. Our players have a better technical level, but what is needed now is how to create excitement and physical strength for the next 90 minutes, which is extremely important.

The painful experience of past matches against Malaysia has drawn lessons, the advantage of the 2-2 draw in the first leg is now only for reference. After the "early win, almost lost, finally draw" match at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Mr. Park Hang-seo certainly has a lot of work to do!