Group B - ASEAN Cup 2024: Vietnam team and the chance to win the top spot

Currently, after 2 matches, the Indonesian team is temporarily leading with 4 points (1 win, 1 draw, 4 goals, 3 goals lost, goal difference +1) but is revealing many weaknesses from Mr. Shin Tae Yong's young team. The Indonesian team still relies mainly on the familiar throw-in of 2 players Arhan and Darwis and in fact, of the 4 goals they have scored so far, 3 of them came from Arhan's powerful throw-ins (1 goal against Myanmar and 2 consecutive equalizers against Laos). The rest, the young team over 20 years old and some naturalized stars have not played very well against their opponents. The Indonesian team was lucky to have a close win against Myanmar and a 3-3 draw at home against the Lao team, with the mainstay Marcelino getting a red card... proving that the team from the Thousand Islands has serious problems in the defense line, the distance is not guaranteed, there are no suitable measures to prevent counter-attacks.

Of course, the real surprise in the above match came from the players of the away team of the Land of a Million Elephants. After the defeat in the opening match against the visiting team Vietnam, the Laos team rearranged their forces, actively attacked from the beginning and achieved a satisfactory result with 2 goals at the beginning of the first half, in which the most prominent was the role of captain striker Bounkong. This is a striker with speed, technique, skillful ball handling ability and excellent opportunity capture. Like many teams in the region, the Laos team was initially quite confused in neutralizing Indonesia's throw-ins, but the more they played, the more they knew how to coordinate, clear and reasonable ball clearance, which made it impossible for Arhan or Darwis to do anything. The equalizer of the Laos team 3-3 was largely due to the contribution of Lao player of Vietnamese origin Damoth when he followed the cross to the end of the touchline for his teammate to tap the ball in an open position, scoring a goal that brought home an extremely valuable point for the home team.

Same day in group B -ASEAN Cup 2024, the host Philippines met Myanmar in a match that did not have much to say. The host's naturalized players were immature, lacked will, and attacked superficially, so they fell behind in the first half and only scored an equalizer in the middle of the second half from a penalty kick. VAR did not recognize the second goal of the away team due to an offside error. What experts had previously warned about the strength of the Philippines against the Vietnamese team was probably just... a bluff because reality is proving the opposite?

So, looking back at the 2 rounds of Group B - ASEAN Cup 2024, experts as well as fans can have an initial overview of the true strength of the teams. Due to "having to split in half" for the 2026 World Cup 3 Qualifiers and the policy of using the U22 team in the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Indonesia is clearly not the strongest team in the group or the tournament, they can even be "undefeated" right from the group stage if they continue to show a monotonous, soulless face like the past, while the Laos team after the meaningful draw mentioned above can take advantage of the opportunity to win against 2 opponents that are not too strong, including the Philippines and Myanmar?

The main character of the group is of course the Vietnam National Team and the key match is the match at Viet Tri Stadium on December 15 against Indonesia without Marcelino due to a red card in the match against Laos. One thing that is not redundant to say is how to neutralize Indonesia's throw-ins that many Vietnamese players or the whole region have tasted the unforgettable bitterness. The defense of the Vietnam National Team, first of all, must be arranged with experienced players, good physique, good jumping power, the ability to stick to the positions fiercely... forcing the opponent to be helpless against the tight concrete defense. The lesson from the 3 goals of the Laos National Team against Indonesia should also be reviewed and analyzed carefully by the Vietnamese players to be able to "learn" anything?

Obviously, the lucky draw and the match schedule as well as the group stage reality in Group B of the ASEAN Cup 2024 bring many advantages to the Vietnamese team. The opening match, although away but against a weak opponent, is the first opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to prove whether their long-standing choice in theory is suitable for the actual official competition or not? The second match is again off to watch the biggest opponent play (and the opponent did not play well, lost a player, the result was a disappointing draw) is the next big opportunity for the Vietnamese team to solve the most difficult problem in the group. It is not allowed to be subjective, underestimate the opponent, but clearly this is an opportunity toVietnam teampay off the debt in the recent World Cup Qualifiers 2 and gradually regain the leading position in the region. And if Indonesia is dealt with neatly, there is no reason for the Vietnamese team to be hindered by the remaining opponents in the group, the Philippines and Myanmar. From there, the Vietnamese team can win the top spot in the group, avoiding the powerful neighbor Thailand in the semi-finals?

There are many advantages for the Vietnamese team before and during the important match against the Indonesian team on December 15. The battle of wits between the two Korean coaches, Mr. Kim Sang-sik and Mr. Shin Tae Yong, will therefore be very attractive, interesting, and worth watching, no less than when Mr. Park Hang-seo was still in office./.