What prevented Ngoc Hai from maintaining his form?

Teacher and studentCoach Park Hang-seoUnable to defend their regional title after losing 0-2 to Thailand in the semi-finals of the 2020 AFF Cup, what caused Que Ngoc Hai and the national team's defense to stumble at such a crucial moment?

Loss of motivation to play football.

The prolonged training camp has negatively impacted the morale of Que Ngoc Hai and the other players. Photo: VFF

Of the 10 teams participating in the 2020 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese national team is considered to have the best preparation, having played the most matches against top teams in the continent. In total, Vietnam played six matches before the tournament in Singapore. From June, Vietnam, along with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, played the remaining matches in the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. However, only Coach Park Hang-seo's team was the sole Southeast Asian representative to participate in the third round of qualifiers, which started in September with a schedule of two matches per month leading up to the 2020 AFF Cup.

Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates had a long training camp from May 7th (preparing to travel to the UAE) until the end of the two semi-final matches of the 2020 AFF Cup (returning home on December 31st). Initially, from May 7th to June 30th, the players focused on preparing for the third qualifying round, with the team having over a month off (including 7 days of local quarantine). However, the group of players from Viettel Club, including Que Ngoc Hai, had to continue traveling and playing in the AFC Champions League until mid-July before undergoing a 14-day medical quarantine.

Phase two ran from August 5th to November 16th. The Vietnamese national team played six matches in the third qualifying round, interspersed with 17 days of rest for the players. Phase three, from November 20th to the present, saw Coach Park Hang-seo and his team training and competing in the AFF Cup in Singapore. In total, the Vietnamese national team players had 59 days of rest over these seven months. Specifically, the Viettel players Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, and Nguyen Thanh Binh had significantly fewer days off, less than a month. This has negatively impacted the morale and physical condition of the Vietnamese players; not many national teams adopt this model.

What caused Que Ngoc Hai and the national team's defense to stumble against Thailand? Photo: VFF

Furthermore, seven consecutive defeats in the World Cup qualifiers have negatively impacted the morale and confidence of the Vietnamese team. Many attacking players like Cong Phuong, Van Toan, and Duc Chinh have lost their form and inspiration, while the defense has also lost faith in its own abilities. Laos' attack wasn't strong, but Que Ngoc Hai and the Vietnamese defense allowed opposing strikers to get past them twice.

The relentless schedule of matches has significantly depleted the Vietnamese national team's physical fitness due to Coach Park's player selection policy. The South Korean strategist rarely changes the lineup, to the point that opponents and even fans can almost accurately predict the starting lineup for each match. In the match against Cambodia, despite claiming not to be selective about the opponent, Coach Park still fielded a strong team, unlike Coach Alexandre Polking who rested his entire starting lineup.

Physical fitness declines, playing style becomes predictable.

Vietnamese fans are eagerly awaiting a positive change in Que Ngoc Hai. Photo: VFF

At the 2020 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese national team lacked innovative ideas, as coach Park Hang-seo used players who were already very familiar to his opponents. Players like Tien Linh, Cong Phuong, Van Duc, Van Toan, and Duc Chinh simply came on as substitutes or substitutes, and the attacking tactics remained largely the same.

In the first leg of the semi-final, Coach Park's intentions were quickly revealed when he fielded Van Toan in the starting lineup. While Coach Polking had already figured out the attack, the defense was surrounded and overwhelmed. Coach Park prepared to block the flanks, but Thailand focused on attacking through the center; clearly, Coach Polking demonstrated his tactical prowess. Que Ngoc Hai's long passes would be ineffective against Thailand playing with a low defensive line.

The Vietnamese players showed great form and stamina in the first half of the semi-final leg. However, when Thailand switched to a 5-3-2 formation by bringing in a 1.85m tall center-back, E. Dolah, their attacking options were effectively shut down. It wasn't that Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Cong Phuong played against Coach Park's plan, but simply that they couldn't penetrate Thailand's flanks. Was replacing Tuan Anh and pushing center-back Thanh Chung forward to play as a forward to compete for aerial balls with E. Dolah a good solution?

Ending 2021 with setbacks, Coach Park and the Vietnamese players will continue to be busy with many plans, starting with two matches in the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers taking place at the end of January and beginning of February. Vietnamese fans are eagerly awaiting a positive change from Que Ngoc Hai.