AFF CUP 2022: Quang Hai returns and the worry of succession

The reigning champion Thailand therefore only has 1 full year to hold the regional throne and must embark on a campaign to defend the top spot with a difficult task due to a serious shortage of personnel.

Previously, the Thais lost the throne due to the lack of key players, especially Chanathip. Now that situation is repeating, will they know how to overcome their inherent weaknesses to add to the golden record of achievements or will they have to continue to suffer defeat against Vietnam and who knows… Indonesia?

Meanwhile, Indonesians continue to trust Korean coach Shin Tae-yong, who a year ago led the young players of the archipelago to the final, but once again prolonged the pain for fans here because they missed the title 6 times in the final decisive match. This time, the Korean coach still showed his determination, still hoping that fans would come to the stadium to cheer the team to compete and win. Like Thailand, Indonesian football currently has quite a few players playing abroad, not to mention the number of naturalized players, to serve the great ambitions ahead. Of course, most of them will not return this time because the tournament is not part of the FIFA competition system.

Quang Hai was in the starting lineup of the Vietnam national team. Photo: Nhu Dat

In the region, it is easy to see that the spirit of “national colors” of the Indonesian people is not inferior to any opponent, even to the point of being extreme and fanatical. Therefore, do not be subjective if you think that Indonesia's force will not be really strong. Also, do not forget that the former head coach of the Korean National Team, now the head coach of the Indonesian National Team, will learn many lessons from the victories and defeats at the recent AFF Cup or SEA Games to be ready to adjust everything and predict all opponents.

Ambitious as the two opponents mentioned above, of course, is the Vietnam National Team with the farewell tournament of "wizard" Park Hang-seo. Unlike the two formidable opponents Thailand and Indonesia, the only star currently playing abroad isQuang HaiFinally, he was "released" to compete in the AFF Cup 2022. This is lucky for Mr. Park Hang-seo, but in fact, it is a worrying thing for the long run of Vietnamese football when there are too few, too few factors trained in advanced football. Just look at the Japanese team playing on par with, or even better than, their European and African opponents at the 2022 World Cup, especially against opponents Germany and Spain, to see clearly how important the role of sending good players abroad is. The Japanese now almost have a full official squad to compete abroad in the world's top football tournaments. That is the most complete solution for quality youth training, quality J-League tournaments and, most of all, a football development strategy worth studying and learning.

While the top Asian football teams have created a stir at the World Cup, Vietnamese football and the whole region can only dream of a ticket to participate in the biggest football festival on the planet, which is still far away if the number of participating teams does not continue to be expanded. From scoring a goal, then having a draw, to moving on to a win is already extremely difficult, Asian football has had teams win 2 matches in the World Cup group stage and go through the main door to enter the next round.

But the story after the current round of 16 of the World Cup is the “hard to overcome peak” as everyone has seen recently, typically the talented and ambitious Japanese team. Previously, Korea reached the semi-finals (2002), but they could not repeat that great achievement. Reality also shows that Asian football is struggling to “cross the threshold” to reach the quarter-finals, which is the 8 strongest teams in the world.

The Vietnamese team will gather in Hanoi from November 23. Photo courtesy of Hai Hoang

So, when the teams in the region are shouting loudly about winning the AFF Cup, it is actually an achievement that is not worth mentioning when considered at the continental level. Of course, Thailand and Vietnam have reached the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, which means they are among the top teams in the continent, but they are ranked last and the gap with top teams like Japan, Korea, Australia or Saudi Arabia is still quite large and very difficult to approach, let alone dream of surpassing.

Should we look at the example of Japan, the fact that Thai, Indonesian or Malaysian stars... did not attend?AFF Cup 2022is the worrying thing for Vietnamese football not only in the near future? With Quang Hai, Mr. Park Hang-seo and the fans will "breathe" a little easier but it is not certain to guarantee victory, because this star also played in the AFF Cup 2021? Vietnamese football therefore has to rely on youth training sources such as Hanoi FC, Viettel, Song Lam Nghe An, PVF, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, NutiFood Academy... to produce new generations of talents, capable of going abroad to "study" for real to serve the long-term strategy in a feasible way.