AFF CUP 2022: Vietnam team avoids making things difficult for themselves

2 matches with 2 different opponents, in which Malaysia is considered the main opponent in the group, shows a lot about the potential strength of Vietnam.Vietnam teamTo be assured of the calculations in the semi-finals, to put it bluntly, avoid meeting Thailand as they "stumbled" in the AFF Cup 2021.

The starting lineup in the last 2 matches only changed in Quang Hai's position, replaced by Van Toan with the reason that the star playing in France had problems with overload? Scoring a goal for the first time in the AFF Cup (in the win over Laos), the Hoang Anh Gia Lai striker received 2 yellow cards for defensive errors, a weakness of any star who has ever been trained at the mountain town team as known. The problem is that the Malaysian away team created an unexpected, tough game (as Ngoc Hai admitted after the match) but it was also a lesson for Mr. Park Hang-seo and the team's coaching staff that the Hoang Anh Gia Lai stars are only suitable for ball control and attacking play, while the defensive task is more mediocre and amateur than anyone else.

Coach Park had a quick meeting with the Vietnam team at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore. Photo: Hai Hoang

Remember, in the 10-man game after Van Toan's ridiculous red card, Van Duc, Hoang Duc, and Hung Dung played excellent defense, while always switching positions as quickly as possible. Here, Mr. Park Hang-seo is always right to trust the explosive Van Duc, who can drop deep to defend on the wings and in the middle, can act as a bridge for ball circulation, and at the same time penetrate the penalty area like a tireless arrow when the opportunity opens up.

In this important match, people can vote for the best player for goalkeeper Van Lam with at least 2 saves for the home team and countless other situations of dominating the game; can praise Tien Linh for always knowing how to "open the scoring" in difficult situations; praise Quang Hai's "look at the vegetable to pick up the meat" pass and Hoang Duc's top-notch sophistication when confronting the goalkeeper; praise Ngoc Hai's bravery before the 11m mark... Those are completely correct, accurate and always on the surface that everyone can see clearly. But there are also silent heroes like Van Duc, Tan Tai and Van Hau who are also worthy of praise, because it is these tireless fighters who help the squad not lose strength when playing with one less player.

Van Duc always dared to advance, sometimes even higher than Tien Linh to the surprise of his opponents, playing skillfully and decisively, forcing the away team's defense to retreat deep, unable to put pressure on the home team as desired. Tan Tai worked hard on the right wing, Van Hau rushed like an arrow on the left wing as usual... They were not mentioned on the scoreboard or in the media, but they were the ones who together with the whole team overcame difficult moments, even "relieving" pressure by fighting to the end, following the ball to the end (by Van Hau) leading to the red card and penalty situation, so that everything followed a scenario that was beneficial to the Vietnamese team afterwards.

Of course, the changes and things beyond Park Hang-seo's expectations have caused the Vietnam National Team to experience unnecessary difficulties. Van Toan's excessive impatience has made him and the team pay a big price, not just in one match. This result will make Van Toan and the stars of Hoang Anh Gia Lai have to accept sitting on the bench longer in the future, especially when the team faces big opponents.

Van Hau also needs to look at himself more when his "heat" becomes excessive and offensive, sooner or later the referees and VAR will notice and handle it thoroughly. Remember Duy Manh before and today to see how meaningful the lessons are. Facing the powerful and cunning Malaysian players, Duy Manh was extremely calm to resolve all risks and always won, always had the upper hand in one-on-one matches. It is impossible not to praise the Hanoi FC player for that commendable change.

The joy of Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates after scoring a goal to double the gap for the Vietnam team in the match against Malaysia. Photo courtesy of Hai Hoang

And so far, Mr. Park Hang-seo has not really needed Van Quyet or Tuan Hai for the attack front, when the old, high-performing players are still effective. A team going on a long journey needs a strong reserve resource, which is something that needs to be carefully considered and calculated. The two remaining opponents in the group, Singapore (away, artificial turf) and Myanmar (home), certainly cannot be a difficult problem for the Korean coach and his team.

The point is never to make things difficult for yourself, put yourself at a disadvantage, then everything will go as desired and you will reach the finish line with victory. The point is to handle each match well, first of all is the away match against Singapore, which has 6 points after 2 matches full of spirit and does not easily give up on ambition?