National team: Necessity is the mother of invention?

(Baonghean.vn) - During the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers with Jordan, Huu Thang is facing three disadvantages: rainy weather, a shortage of players due to injuries and a schedule for make-up matches. But as always, "necessity is the mother of invention" because the coach from Nghe An knows how to "measure your coat according to your cloth".

With the call-up of 7 U.20 players, the Vietnamese team under coach Huu Thang has a record low average age of 22.9 years old. This is a "3 in 1" move when Huu Thang created a team list aiming for the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, preparing for the 2017 SEA Games and further in 2019.

Young center back Tan Sinh has a lot of opportunities to play in the starting lineup. Photo: Internet

This time, our opponent in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers is Jordan - a West Asian team 22 places higher than us in the FIFA rankings, but Huu Thang still boldly innovated - a decision considered brave. Summoning 28 players like Duc Chinh and Tan Tai got injured, so in the end, Huu Thang only had 26 players, this time the forward line had only 2 players.

Despite support, VFF cannot force the clubs to release players for the national team again or adjust the match schedule (players from Than Quang Ninh, FLC Thanh Hoa and Hanoi will play a make-up match for round 11 of V-League on June 9).

Therefore, in the first training session at Thong Nhat Stadium, Mr. Thang and his assistants had to put on their shoes and go to the training ground with the students to have enough players - except for 2 goalkeepers, he only had 15 players left. Heavy rain caused the Vietnamese team's training plan at Thong Nhat Stadium to be canceled. Coach Huu Thang was forced to change the training location from Thong Nhat Stadium to the artificial turf field at the Ho Chi Minh City Police Sports Center.

As expected, several key players such as Nghiem Xuan Tu, Bui Tien Dung, Sam Ngoc Duc or Quang Hai... will only have 2 days to recover before the match against Jordan (June 13). And the team's coaching staff will only have 2-3 sessions to assemble the squad before welcoming the Jordan players, the team that had a 7-0 victory over Cambodia in the first round.

Huu Thang's goal is to get points against Jordan. Photo: Internet

It is clear that the team in Huu Thang's hands still has experienced warriors such as: Van Quyet, Vu Minh Tuan, Tuan Linh or a little lower Duy Manh. A few faces that the audience remembers are: A Hoang, Hoang Khuong, Van Khanh, Hong Duy. Surely the 5 U.20 players returning from the World Cup will have the opportunity to appear at Thong Nhat Stadium in their first time wearing the national team jersey. In the context of lacking in numbers, it opens up opportunities for young players to compete.

In the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, in the first match, coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his team drew 1-1 with Afghanistan, while Jordan crushed Cambodia 7-0. Therefore, the captain from Nghe An said this was an important match for the Vietnamese team. "Jordan is a team of continental stature, so we will face many difficulties in approaching the match even though we are playing at home," said coach Huu Thang.

Responding to Nghe An Newspaper reporter, Coach Huu Thang said: "The opponent is considered stronger, but that does not mean we do not have a chance. My goal and the whole team's goal is to try to get one point." In this context, getting one point is considered a success and if we lose to Jordan, it is not the end, we still have a chance to finish second in Group C.

AT