Who is Coach Park's 'secret chess piece' in the match against Malaysia?

Tough opponent

Malaysia is a team with a special relationship with the Vietnamese team. 12 years ago, at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos, the golden generation led by Calisto was very close to the threshold of heaven but still fell beforeMalaysiaIn that tournament, Tan Truong was considered a sinner, Trong Hoang also did not have much of an impression.

At AFF Cup 2010 and AFF Cup 2014, the Vietnamese team could not overcome Malaysia.

Since 2014, the position of the Vietnamese team has changed. Photo: VnReview

However, from 2014 to now, the position ofVietnam teamhas changed. For the past 7 years, the Malaysian team has not been able to beat the Vietnamese team in any arena. Especially, since coach Park Hang-Seo took charge, Vietnam has risen to new heights in Southeast Asia, while the Malaysian team has been sluggish and has never been a tough opponent for the yellow team...

In the first leg of this Group G qualifier at My Dinh Stadium, Malaysia continued to lose 0-1 to host Vietnam. In the previous match, they were crushed 0-4 by UAE… However, it seems that Malaysia is still not convinced by its neighbor, still “talking tough” even though many weaknesses have been exposed to its opponents.

In the next match, Vietnam must win before thinking about a positive result against the host UAE. This is certainly a much more difficult match, the Vietnamese team will not be able to easily press the field continuously like in the match against Indonesia and still have to be wary of the aggressive, tricky, fast, high-ball, and energy-consuming style of play from the Malaysian players...

Coach Park's secret

If Trong Hoang has fully paid "both principal and interest" from the defeat in the 2009 SEA Games final with the 2018 AFF Cup championship and the 30th SEA Games gold medal, then Tan Truong still has some injustice somewhere that needs to be cleared "immediately".

The leisurely match against Indonesia did not fully demonstrate the role of this 35-year-old goalkeeper and the question is whether Tan Truong will be trusted in the tense match against Malaysia? It is likely that Tan Truong will have a chance, although he will have to go through difficult moments.

Faced with a much-changed Indonesia, Mr. Park has "adapted" flexibly. Photo: Vietnamnet

Van Thanh’s good performance in the V. League and his beautiful goal in the recent match against Indonesia has made Coach Park’s problem of using Trong Hoang even more difficult. Moreover, Quang Hai’s absence will force Coach Park to restructure the position for Trong Hoang – a very versatile player who is absolutely trusted by the Korean coach. Maybe, Trong Hoang will be able to play in the central midfield position or play as a winger. If Trong Hoang plays as a winger, Hoang Duc can be the perfect replacement for Quang Hai.

Coach Park Hang-seo has announced that he has a solution for the lack of star player Quang Hai and players Hoang Duc, Trong Hoang or Cong Phuong are being "nominated" by experts and discerning fans? Many people must remember that during the 2019 SEA Games, U23 Vietnam played brilliantly in matches without their key player Quang Hai and this is the time to continue doing that.

In the attack, if Tuan Anh and Van Toan are not yet physically fit, Cong Phuong is Mr. Park's "trump card". Not to mention, the fact that Van Duc was not "operating at full capacity" in the previous match is "a saving" for this interesting confrontation.

Malaysia is in a position where they have nothing to lose. Surely, this team will not give in, accept defeat and is ready to fight with the Vietnam national team to affirm its honor and position in Southeast Asia.

Many people believe that Malaysia's head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has "figured out" the Vietnamese team. However, the interesting thing about Mr. Park Hang-seo is that he always forces his opponents to find ways to neutralize him. Every match of the Vietnamese team under the Korean coach is an interesting surprise. Facing a much-changed Indonesia, Mr. Park clearly "improvised" flexibly, from not letting his students be swept away by the opponent's playing style to restructuring the team, making him once again the one to go first and finish first.

The massive naturalization of the Malaysian national team, the friendly matches, the impacts of Covid-19... have all given Mr. Park Hang-seo useful memories and even if he wants to, it is not easy for Malaysia to show much when the Vietnamese national team is "in form" more than ever.

Of course, the pressure on the Vietnamese national team is not small, but at the same time, opportunities will always open up if Ngoc Hai and his teammates practice tight defense and perfect transitions, exploiting their strong counter-attack opportunities.

Class is what the Vietnamese team has shown in the past when many opponents in the region and continent have experienced defeat. The class of the Vietnamese team is also shown in the fact that this is not a team of one star, just neutralize this star and the whole team will immediately "turn off" like before. On the contrary, this is a balanced team, many positions can cause sudden changes, diverse playing style, not easy to grasp.

Maybe Mr. Park Hang-seo determined that the match against Malaysia must be played as the “last match” because if we win 3 points, the chance to enter the 3rd qualifying round of the Vietnam National Team is very bright. If we win 3 points, we will be very comfortable playing the remaining match against the formidable opponent UAE to take the top position in the group proudly?

After all, facing difficulties against Malaysia is easier than facing difficulties against UAE, so focusing on all aspects to "defeat" Malaysia is a vital task. However, the entry and development of the Vietnamese team's playing style must be extremely confident, poised, surprising and effective.

Maybe this match will bring out a new star? That is what fans are always looking forward to and opponents are always nervous and wary, not knowing what to do when facing the "wizard" Park Hang-seo!