Australia – Vietnam: Difficult for others, difficult for us

That is, the home team's head coach Graham Arnold will be absent from the technical area due to Covid-19, not to mention the seriously damaged force, possibly "losing the entire squad" including goalkeeper M. Ryan, defenders A. Behich, H. Souttar, B. Smith, midfielders A. Mabil, J. Jeggo, A. Hrustic (suspended) and 3 strikers N. Rukavytsya, B. Borrelo, A. Taggart... In addition, due to being busy competing in different tournaments, the 16 players playing abroad cannot gather as early as planned, they even only have one practice session to get acquainted before the official match takes place.

Meanwhile, although the official lineup ofVietnam National Teamalso suffered from injuries and suspensions, but Mr. Park Hang-seo's team gathered early, had enough time to practice both domestically and when arriving in Australia a week in advance, and had time to get used to the weather and all aspects related to the competition. Perhaps the absence of Ngoc Hai, Duy Manh, Tien Linh, Van Toan, Phi Son, Van Dai will cause Mr. Park Hang-seo a headache when looking for replacements, but it seems that everything has been planned by the coaching staff, with timely plans to fill in, even proactively so that everything progresses more smoothly than expected. All information about the team recently announced by Van Vu and Tuan Hai shows that the coaching staff and the players are ready at the highest level for the upcoming match.

Vietnam team's first training session in Australia. Photo: VFF

So in reality, is it true that the home team is really in trouble and the away team, although weaker, will have an easier time when the match takes place and can do something that they have not been able to do for a long time? The answer is "it's difficult for others, difficult for us", the home team and the away team both have their own difficulties and advantages, no one has a complete advantage and no one is completely disadvantaged.

If the home team is absent from head coach G. Arnold, there will be a replacement, assistant Rene Meulensteen, who used to be an assistant to the famous MU A. Ferguson coach. Therefore, all the paths and steps of the Australian team are basically the same and the potential strength of a team playing at home, with many players playing abroad with high professional qualifications and inherent professional qualities will certainly be promoted as usual. Moreover, the early or late concentration of national players in major football countries has long been a daily occurrence, "if there is no girl, the market will be crowded" is something that goes without saying, everyone knows. The difference in level between the main and reserve players is always insignificant, so everything will still be orderly and smooth as usual when the squad is operating, regardless of the situation.

Furthermore, it should be remembered that in the Australian national team as well as other leading teams in the continent, the gap between players playing domestically and internationally is not that far. The only goal scorer for the Australian national team in the match against the Vietnamese national team at My Dinh Stadium was a defender, playing domestically (R. Grant) is a concrete proof.

Vietnamese players before the match against Australia. Photo: VFF

To see that, the information about the difficulties in the forces of both teams is real, but the adjustment of each team to suit the new requirements is also real, although the information is not disclosed. With the Australian team, they will certainly take advantage of the home field, the advantage in physique, fitness and all aspects to earn 3 points as capital in the race to find a ticket to the prestigious World Cup. As for the Vietnamese team, all hopes of playing the best they can, doing something are still intact, still hot, especially for the new factors called back to the team and hoping to be assigned a task in this match.

What experts and fans expect is that Mr. Park Hang-seo will truly renew and effectively improve the team's strength. The old players still maintain their motivation to compete and the necessary professional foundation is still the pillar of the team. In addition, it is necessary to boldly put on the field new players who are capable of making a difference against the opponent, helping the team play according to a newer, more flexible "playbook", making the opponent more difficult to predict... is already a remarkable success.

The problem of the Vietnam National Team at this time is not necessarily to earn points in the 3rd Qualifying Round but the process of renewal, re-doing, both to continue to play well in the upcoming match against the Chinese National Team, and to aim for the AFF Cup at the end of the year with the mission of taking back the championship that is now in the hands of the Thais. Perhaps the "experiments" of Mr. Park Hang-seo related to Huu Tuan, Hung Dung, Van Vu, Tuan Hai... in the match against the Australian National Team were successful and unsuccessful, but all are necessary for the long-term goals of the team. Winning, losing or drawing in a few matches at this time may be necessary to create motivation, or it may not be so important when we proactively advance or retreat for a solid goal ahead. That is the real "magic" in the unpredictable changing situation of regional and continental football as we have known and expected...