Indonesian newspaper wants the home team to be wary of these 3 stars of the Vietnam team; Lee Kang-in receives the first 'punishment' after the scandal of being rude to Son Heung-min

Coach Troussier: Vietnam team lacks good strikers

"The Vietnamese team currently does not have a good striker, so we have to prepare very carefully for set pieces. This is an important weapon for us to endanger our opponents," coach Philippe Troussier told Japan's Friday Digital.

Mr. Troussier brought a number of strikers to the 2023 Asian Cup such as Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Van Tung and Nguyen Van Truong. All of these players were allowed to play, but only Tuan Hai and Dinh Bac somewhat met expectations.

According to statistics, 3 out of 4 goals scored by the Vietnam team came from set pieces. Only Quang Hai's goal against Iraq was scored after a combination with Van Toan and Thanh Binh.

Coach Troussier analyzed: "Vietnam's first goal against Japan came from a pass to the near post. This is the result of continuous training. In the second goal, the Japanese players were not focused when defending the second ball. In addition, we scored another goal from a free kick against Iraq."

Vietnam teamleft the 2023 Asian Cup with 3 defeats, no points, scoring 4 goals and conceding 8. However, coach Troussier and his team still left certain bright spots, mainly coming from the match against Japan.

According to Mr. Troussier, he watched the Japanese team's matches and built a defensive line from a distance. The Vietnamese team tried to put pressure from the middle of the field. The Vietnamese team was forced to defend for most of the match and maintain discipline and distance between the lines.

"We were able to break up many of Japan's typical lightning attacks with short passes. They didn't play long balls so it was easier for us to defend. The Vietnamese team focused on Junya Ito, he tended to dribble into the opponent's defense. However, Vietnam couldn't stop Japan's individuals from shining," Mr. Troussier regretted.

Indonesian newspaper wants home team to be wary of 3 stars of Vietnam team

Indonesian newspaper pointed out 3 names of the Vietnamese team that coach Shin Tae-yong and his team need to be wary of in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

Indonesian media also pointed out the three most dangerous names of the "Golden Star Warriors" as Doan Van Hau, Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Tien Linh.

In the past, Van Hau has repeatedly caused pain to Indonesian fans and this has made him a "villain" in their eyes.

In the 2019 SEA Games final, the defender from Thai Binh forced Indonesian star Evan Dimas to leave the field on a stretcher after a dispute.

As for Quang Hai and Tien Linh, these two players have also made the Indonesian teams regret many times in the past.

According to the schedule, the two matches between Vietnam and Indonesia in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup will take place on March 21 and 26, 2024.

After 2 matches, the red team currently has 3 points and is ranked second in Group F. Meanwhile, Indonesia only has 1 point and is at the bottom of the table.

Chelsea prepares to bring in the next hundred million euro "blockbuster"

The Athletic claims Chelsea's transfer priority after this season is to add a striker. Ivan Toney is of interest to the Blues. Coach Thomas Frank admitted that Toney will not stay with Brentford for long. The proof is that the Bees have just recruited Igor Thiago from Club Brugge to replace the English striker.

In addition to Toney, the Stamford Bridge team is also keeping an eye on Victor Osimhen. According to The Telegraph, coach Mauricio Pochettino highly values ​​the striker currently playing for Napoli.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano added: "Toney will leave Brentford in the summer. Chelsea are really interested in Toney. Even Osimhen is on the list of targets for this team."

The prices of Toney and Osimhen are not cheap, both exceeding the 100 million euro mark. If either deal is made, Chelsea will own the next hundred million dollar "blockbuster" in a short time, following the cases of Enzo Fernandez (121 million euro) and Moises Caicedo (116 million euro).

In the context of the strikers wasting too many opportunities, "The Blues" consider Toney or Osimhen as the optimal solution. They will sell Romelu Lukaku to cover the transfer costs.

Lee Kang-in received the first "punishment" after the rude scandal with Son Heung-min

Son Heung-min is not only a football star but also a living icon in Korea thanks to his professional style, dedication and clean personal life. The Tottenham striker is even rumored to have put his love life on hold to focus on his career and is one of the biggest stars in every field in the land of kimchi.

That's why Lee Kang-in got into big trouble when he was exposed for being rude to Son Heung-min. The PSG midfielder was accused of fighting and punching Son Heung-min, causing his senior to break his finger right before the 2023 Asian Cup semi-final against Jordan.

Although Lee Kang-in is also a top star in Korean football, his influence is still far behind Son Heung-min. Not to mention, his rude attitude towards his “senior” is considered unacceptable in Korea, causing Lee Kang-in to face a widespread boycott.

Lee Kang-in's past bad actions and the fact that he only posted an apology on his personal page within 24 hours have caused the midfielder to be heavily criticized. The immediate consequence for Lee Kang-in is that the brands that sponsored him in Korea have begun to withdraw because of the boycott by fans.

KT, one of South Korea's leading telecommunications companies, was the first to terminate Lee Kang-in's contract. KT quickly removed posters featuring Lee Kang-in as the promotional model for the Samsung Galaxy S24 series from all its dealers and sales points nationwide after the scandal broke out.

KT signed Lee Kang-in after the midfielder won the Golden Ball at the 2019 U20 World Cup. They renewed the contract with the PSG star on January 16, but are likely to cancel it./.