Confronting the "rich guy" Qatar

The rich guy

Vietnamese sports journalists present in Changzhou, China all admitted that Qatar spared no expense for the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. The host country of the 2022 World Cup prepared in detail in every aspect, to help their U23 players feel most comfortable.

Before the bus carrying Qatar players and coaching staff arrived at the training ground, U23 Qatar had a separate team come to the training ground in advance to prepare. The assistant and support staff of U23 Qatar (including the coaching staff) amounted to 20 people, which is almost equal to the number of players (23 people) registered for the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. They carefully used a machine to accurately measure the distance between the markers used to practice free kicks.

Shoes and gloves have been prepared for the players by the Qatar logistics team. Photo: Internet

Few teams are as lucky as Qatar, where players step off the bus and find their training shoes neatly arranged outside the pitch, ready for them to slip into. Even with regards to drinking water, the team's personal doctor will try different drinks for the players based on their level of activity.

Qatar is preparing every detail for the U23 players because this year's squad is considered the core for the 2022 World Cup which will take place in this rich country.

U23 Vietnam is facing a real "rich guy". The website Transfermarkt, which specializes in player valuation, believes that the U23 Vietnam squad is only valued at 75,000 euros, the same as Palestine. Of course, it is far behind U23 Qatar, our semi-final opponent, who is valued at 2.15 million euros. Remember, U23 Iraq, who lost to Vietnam in the quarter-finals, was only valued at 500,000 euros.

In the U23 Vietnam team, there are only 2 players valued by Transfermarkt. That is Xuan Truong at about 50,000 euros (1 euro is approximately 27,800 VND), followed by Cong Phuong (25,000 euros). The other players of U23 Vietnam, because they do not go abroad, only rotate around the country, are not valued according to the international framework.

Coach Felix Sanchez has the best young Qatari players, many of whom are playing in Europe. Most of the Qatar U23 players participated and won the 2014 AFC U19 Championship. This is also the tournament that our U19 Cong Phuong participated in and was eliminated from the group stage after defeats against Korea and Japan.

The most valuable player in the Qatar U23 squad is left winger Akram Afif (10), valued at 700,000 euros. Striker Almoez Ali Abdulla, who has scored 5 goals against 3/4 of Qatar's opponents and is the top scorer in the tournament, is valued at 450,000 euros.

If we say this is a "money" match, the balance is clearly tilted towards the "rich West Asian guy", but football is not like that, having a lot of money means winning?

Vietnam's strength

Domestic audiences were excited to fly to Jiangsu to cheer for the team, Vietnam Airlines decided to change to a larger plane to Jiangsu (China). Hundreds of Vietnamese people who bought Tet goods here shouted together to come to the stadium. The association of fellow countrymen in Shanghai organized bus trips straight to Changzhou to cheer for Mr. Park and his team.

Vietnam's economy cannot be as good as Qatar's, but we will certainly have more fans in the stands than them, even the most among the teams in the semi-finals. That is really a great advantage for Cong Phuong, Van Duc and his teammates.

Vietnam's strength is the spirit of victory. Photo: Internet

In terms of confidence, it is rare for young Vietnamese players to be so eager to enter the field, even Trong Dai and Ngoc Quang - players who have not yet entered the field - are still eagerly waiting for the command.

Obviously, Mr. Park, in addition to being a professional coach with solid expertise, is also a psychologist who understands the profession and knows how to inspire confidence in his students. It is necessary to have a winning spirit for our players on the field to run tirelessly until the last minute of the 120 minutes of confrontation with Iraq.

The Korean coach’s belief and desire to win has permeated the players, the media and the fans. The strength of the U23 Vietnam team has thus multiplied!