Cong Phuong is on the bench in the match against Syria: Coach Park's high-handed move
Although he was the hero of the Vietnam Olympic team in the victory over Bahrain in the round of 16 of the 2018 Asian Games, Cong Phuong could have been on the bench in the quarter-final match against Syria (7:30 p.m. on August 27). However, this was still a wise decision by coach Park Hang Seo.
Playing against U23 Bahrain in the 1/8 round of the Asian Games, Coach Park Hang Seo decided to leave Cong Phuong on the bench, giving Van Duc the chance to start. According to experts, the reason the Korean coach trusts Van Duc is because the player from SL Nghe An has abundant energy, both good at attacking and effective in supporting defense.
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| Cong Phuong may continue to sit on the bench in the match against Syria. |
Moreover, with what Van Duc shows every time he enters the field, the attack of Olympic Vietnam has a lot of new things on the attack line. Not to mention that the striker of SL Nghe An Club is a person with a very sharp ability to score goals.
However, when Van Duc did not meet expectations, Coach Park Hang Seo had to trust Cong Phuong, and the decision to put this player on the field in the match against Bahrain was completely correct. On the field, striker number 9 immediately caused difficulties for Bahrain's defense with his speed and technique. He was energetic and also coordinated well with his teammates.
Not letting down the trust of coach Park and the home fans, Cong Phuong shone at the end of the match. A sensational touch and a shot that “burned the net” against the Bahrain Olympic team brought home a historic quarter-final ticket for Vietnamese football at the Asian Games.
The question that many people are asking now is after shining, will Cong Phuong return to the main squad of Vietnam Olympic team in the quarter-final match against Syria? In fact, in the past 4 matches (3 group stage matches and 1 match in the round of 16), Phuong only started in the opening match, a 3-0 win over Pakistan, and he also contributed 1 goal.
In the following matches, the Nghe An striker had to be on the bench. The ones who took Phuong's place were Van Duc (in the matches against Nepal and Bahrain) and Van Toan (in the match against Japan). Coach Park Hang Seo did not not trust Cong Phuong, but he had his own calculations.
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| Coach Park Hang Seo is showing wisdom and effectiveness in using Cong Phuong. |
Coach Park is very strict in making tactics in each match, and although he always praises Phuong's talent, he still has to calculate. The HA Gia Lai star seems more unpredictable when coming off the bench. That is the tactic to surprise the opponent as well as trust in Cong Phuong's ability to create high breakthroughs.
In short, even if Cong Phuong shines and becomes the hero of the Vietnam Olympic team, he can still sit on the bench as usual in any match. But that does not mean that coach Park Hang Seo does not trust the striker from Nghe An.
The Korean coach even affirmed that Cong Phuong is an irreplaceable player in the Vietnam Olympic team. Knowing how to use Cong Phuong at the right time to maximize his potential, coach Park is increasingly showing his talent.
