Expert Nguyen Thanh Vinh: 'U22 Vietnam tied with Indonesia because they played too well'

(Baonghean.vn) - Veteran coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh said that against a strong opponent like Indonesia, coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his team had a successful match.

Commenting on yesterday's match, the veteran football expert from Nghe An said: "Yesterday, U22 Vietnam played against a very cunning team, played rough and had many collisions. To be honest, the U22 Vietnam players encountered a tough opponent, unlike Timor Leste, Cambodia or the Philippines. Of course, when they met a team like Indonesia, their courage and confidence were not really balanced.

From my perspective, we played much better than Indonesia, from defense, attack organization and the number of opportunities created. The only thing we haven't done well is our poor scoring efficiency and haste in finishing."

U22 Indonesia proved they are a tough team at SEA Games 29. Photo: Duc Dong

With the unfortunate missed scoring opportunities, Ho Tuan Tai became the focus of criticism. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vinh gave his opinion: “Some players did not play as we wanted and that was because their form was not good. Many people criticized Tuan Tai, but in my opinion, he played very progressively in the match against Indonesia. In fact, Tuan Tai's ability to move was even more obvious than Cong Phuong's. As for his finishing ability, he is not yet perfect, not very experienced. Tuan Tai's shot has strong force but is not delicate enough to defeat the opposing goalkeeper."

Another problem lies in the ability of coach Nguyen Huu Thang to "deploy troops" in a situation with more players, as mentioned by expert Nguyen Thanh Vinh: "If yesterday, the referee had made the correct call, we would have had a penalty from Quang Hai, maybe the referee did not have a good view. After the opponent lost a player and had to change the goalkeeper, we should have increased the pressure on the opponent a lot. We should have changed players earlier, boldly made breakthroughs, and players with the ability to sweep need to be promoted.

If he had been more careful, Coach Huu Thang could have pushed Cong Phuong up high, not letting Cong Phuong play back anymore. At that time, he would have allowed the players to play individually to coordinate and then finish. Yesterday, U22 Vietnam played too methodically, a bit too tightly packed, making the opponent, even though he was short of players, still ensure the ability to defend. When Indonesia did not dare to attack, we should have dispersed and opened up more attack routes.

When we meet Thailand, if we talk about change, I think we just need to change our mindset, dare to beat Thailand, then we will play well. At this time, we have to encourage the players, not that we are afraid of the Thais. If we keep being afraid like Indonesia, it will be very difficult for us to play" - concluded the former teacher of Coach Nguyen Huu Thang.

The 0-0 draw against Indonesia made the match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Thailand the "final" of Group B when both teams have 10 points. In the next match, U22 Indonesia will meet U22 Cambodia and if they want to secure a ticket to the semi-finals, U22 Vietnam must have a favorable result against the Thais./.

Trung Kien