Three weaknesses of the Malaysian team

After a 4-0 win over Laos with a 4-3-3 formation, Malaysia continued to win 3-1 against Cambodia. Despite winning 2 matches, the teamMalaysia has left behind many weaknesses that coach Park Hang-seo needs to exploit well from his opponent to achieve favorable results in this afternoon's match.

The stone path is still fragmented.

Unlike the past few years, when he mainly played with a 4-2-3-1 formation, this time in Singapore, Mr. Tan Cheng-Hoeswitched to playing with a 4-3-3 formation (match with Laos) and a 4-1-4-1 formation (match with Cambodia). Honestly speaking, coach Tan Cheng-Hoe's players did not play well in the past 2 matches. In each half, the Malaysian team had to spend 15-20 minutes to form a style of play. In the match against Cambodia, the Angkor warriors stole the ball from their own half, and the Malaysian defenders appeared confused. Through the 2 matches, every time the pressure increased, the Malaysian players made many wrong passes.

It's Cong Phuong's turn to shine. Photo AFF.

The Vietnamese team can take the initiative, pushing up the formation to take advantage of Malaysia's slow pace to gain an advantage. The high pressing style of play, fiercely fighting for the ball will make the "Malay Tigers" confused, leading to individual mistakes. The Cambodian and Lao players are too weak, so these weaknesses of Malaysia have not been fully exploited. For Van Duc, Quang Hai, Cong Phuong ofVietnam teamthen things would be different.

Early staff reveal

The fact that the Malaysian team was complacent, only bringing 24 players to participate in the AFF Cup 2020. Before that, it was not until December 1 that coach Tan Cheng-Hoe had enough players to assemble the squad, which was also a reason why the playing style was not yet available. Not to mention, when the tournament had taken place for 2 matches, they received the shocking news when 3 players tested positive for Covid-19, including key striker Akhyar Rashid.

Malaysia team (yellow shirt) is facing difficulty in terms of personnel. Photo: Archive

In the match against Malaysia of the Vietnam team, Mr. Tan Tan Cheng-Hoe also does not have many choices in terms of personnel. Coach Park Hang-seo and his colleagues will easily study the opponent and come up with reasonable options for the confrontation. The fact that the opponent only has one naturalized Brazilian striker, 35 years old Gulherrme, will not be difficult for Que Ngoc Hai and the Vietnamese defenders. This number 9 is old and often does not play the whole match. L. Hakim, 19 years old, who is playing for the Belgian second division, is the more dangerous player.

Midfielder Safawi Rasid is the most notable factor on the Malaysian side. The active number 11 on the right wing has scored 4 goals after 2 matches, including a hat-trick against Laos. The player born in 1997 is the spark in Malaysia's attacks because of his speedy playing style, constantly changing the direction of the ball. The playing style that depends too much on number 11 is Malaysia's weakness that opponents can predict.

The war of “old acquaintances”. Photo AFF

In the match between Malaysia and Laos, Coach Park went directly to Bishan Stadium to study the opponent. Coach Park Hang-seo will certainly have plans to neutralize Safawi Rasid in the upcoming match. Maybe Nguyen Phong Hong Duy will play lower, focus on the left wing and lock down the number 11 of the Malaysian side.

In addition, the support of Nguyen Hoang Duc and central defender Tien Dung will make it impossible for the opponent's key players to show themselves. Even when needed, Mr. Park will send Duc Huy, a defensive-minded player who used to play this position when playing for Hanoi FC, onto the field to block the opponent's attack.

With a stable mentality, the Vietnam national team has made careful preparations for the match with Malaysia. We need to win against the “Malay Tiger”, thereby expanding the path to the semi-finals.