What makes Ngoc Hai unable to maintain his form?

Teacher and studentCoach Park Hang-seocould not defend the regional title after losing 0-2 to Thailand in the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020. What caused Que Ngoc Hai and the team's defenders to stumble at such an important moment?

Lost inspiration to play football

Focusing too long has a negative impact on Que Ngoc Hai and the players' psychology. Photo: VFF

Among the 10 teams participating in the AFF Cup 2020, the Vietnamese team is considered to have the best preparation as they have played the most matches against the top teams in the continent. In total, the Vietnamese team has 6 matches before entering the tournament in Singapore. From June, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand will play the remaining matches in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. However, only coach Park Hang-seo and his team are the only Southeast Asian representatives participating in the third qualifying round, starting from September with a frequency of 2 matches per month until before the AFF Cup 2020.

Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates had a training period lasting from May 7 (preparing to go to UAE) until the end of the 2 semi-final matches of AFF Cup 2020 (returning home on December 31). Initially, from May 7 to June 30, the players gathered to prepare for the third qualifying round, the team had more than 1 month to leave camp (including 7 days of local quarantine). In particular, the group of players from Que Ngoc Hai's Viettel Club had to continue traveling, compete in the AFC Champions League until mid-July, then quarantine for 14 days.

Phase two from August 5 to November 16. The Vietnamese team has 6 matches in the third qualifying round, with players returning home for 17 days. Phase three from November 20 to present, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team have trained and competed in the AFF Cup in Singapore. In the past 7 months, the Vietnamese team has had 59 days off. As for the Viettel players Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung and Nguyen Thanh Binh, the number of days off is much less, less than 1 month. This has had a negative impact on the mentality and physical strength of the Vietnamese team, not many national teams apply this model.

What made Que Ngoc Hai and the national team's defenders stumble against Thailand? Photo: VFF

In addition, 7 consecutive defeats in the World Cup qualifiers have negatively affected the spirit and confidence of the Vietnamese team. Many strikers such as Cong Phuong, Van Toan, and Duc Chinh have lost their form and inspiration, and the defense has also lost faith in their own abilities. Laos's attack is not strong, but Que Ngoc Hai and the Vietnamese defense have let the opponent's strikers escape twice.

The continuous competition has significantly reduced the physical strength of the Vietnamese team due to the policy of using players by Mr. Park. The Korean strategist rarely changes the force, to the point that opponents and fans can almost accurately predict the lineup in each match. In the match against Cambodia, although he declared that he did not choose the opponent, Mr. Park still put out a strong lineup, unlike coach Alexandre Polking who kept the entire main squad.

Physical strength decreased, playing style was predictable

Vietnamese fans are waiting for Que Ngoc Hai's positive change. Photo: VFF

At the AFF Cup 2020, the Vietnamese team did not have many breakthroughs in terms of ideas when Coach Park used familiar players against opponents. Players Tien Linh, Cong Phuong, Van Duc, Van Toan, Duc Chinh simply entered the field first or from the bench, the attack was still the same.

In the first leg of the semi-finals, Coach Park's intentions were revealed early when he put Van Toan in the starting lineup. When the attack line was predicted by Mr. Polking, the defense line was surrounded and attacked first. Mr. Park prepared a plan to block the two wings, while Thailand focused on attacking the center. It was clear that Mr. Polking had shown his class in tactical play. Que Ngoc Hai's long balls would be difficult to be effective when Thailand played with a low formation.

The breakthrough and abundant physical strength helped the Vietnamese players play well in the first half of the semi-final match. But when Thailand switched to a 5-3-2 formation by adding a 1.85m tall center-back, E. Dolah, the attack was blocked. It was not that Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Cong Phuong played against Coach Park's intentions, but simply that they could not penetrate Thailand's two flanks. Was replacing Tuan Anh to push center-back Thanh Chung up to play as a striker to compete for the ball in the air with E. Dolah a good solution?

Closing 2021 with failures, Coach Park and the Vietnamese players will continue to be busy with many plans, first of all are two matches in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup taking place at the end of January and the beginning of February. Vietnamese fans are waiting for Que Ngoc Hai's positive change.