Philippines vs. Vietnam: A clash of "familiar faces"

After coach Eriksson, the three names that have attracted the most attention from experts are assistant coach Greatwich, captain Phil Younghusband, and substitute player number 22 Paul Mulders. They are the ones who will have a major influence on the outcome of the semi-final match against the Vietnamese national team. All three are familiar with the Vietnamese team, and vice versa.

Greatwich Assistant

"Mr. Eriksson is very good, but nobody understands the Philippine players and the Vietnamese national team better than his assistant, Greatwich," former Philippines national team coach Simon Mcmenemy once said. It's worth remembering that at the 2010 AFF Cup, the 35-year-old former national team player Greatwich scored the opening goal in the Philippines' 2-0 victory at My Dinh Stadium.

Assistant coach Greatwich is seen as the link between coach Eriksson and the Philippine players. (Image: Internet)

When Eriksson arrived, interim manager Scott Cooper became a technical advisor, and Greatwich became his assistant. It was clear that the "Azkals" coaching staff at the 2018 AFF Cup was full of top-class players. They had the experienced Eriksson, and Greatwich was seen as the link between the coach and the players.

It's true that Coach Eriksson doesn't understand the Philippine players better than Greatwich. Simply put, he played 48 matches for the national team over 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, and many of the players currently on the national team are his teammates. Greatwich's in-depth understanding of the Philippine national team is something neither Eriksson nor Cooper possess, as they are newcomers to Southeast Asia. Therefore, assistant coach Greatwich is an indispensable piece of the Philippine national team's coaching staff.

Greatwich's job was to regularly provide information on the players and analyze past opponents to send to coach Eriksson. Perhaps thanks to this, the Philippine national team successfully navigated the tough group of death in the 2018 AFF Cup, which included Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Of the three players who scored against Vietnam – Greatwich, Phil Younghusband (AFF Cup 2010), and Caligdong (AFF Cup 2012) – only Phil Younghusband, the captain of the Philippines national team, is still playing. Born in 1987, he received his basic training at the Chelsea youth academy from the age of nine. It wasn't until 2008, despite being the top scorer for the youth team for many years, that he couldn't secure a place in the first team and left the London club to return to his home country. Phil Younghusband plays as the furthest forward, leading the attack in the Philippines' 4-4-2 formation.

Among the home team's players is 37-year-old Paul Mulders, a name that Ngoc Hai and the Vietnamese defenders must remember. This number 22 has been with the national team for 10 years, making over 100 appearances, alongside players like Greatwich and Phil Younghusband. The veteran has accumulated a wealth of experience from their encounters with the Vietnamese national team in the last three AFF Cup tournaments (2010, 2012, 2014).

Duyen "tear through the net" of the homeowner.

Defender Duy Mạnh (in 2011) is the player who scored a hat-trick against the Philippines U16 team. (Image from the Internet)

Although Hoang Thinh, Vu Minh Tuan, and Thanh Luong—players under coach Miura who scored goals in the 3-1 victory against the Philippines at My Dinh Stadium in the 2014 AFF Cup—are not in the national team, there are still five Vietnamese players who once scored against this team.

Leading the list is center-back Duy Mạnh (in 2011), with a hat-trick against the U16 Philippines in Vietnam's "crazy" 10-0 victory. At that time, the player born in 1996 played as a central midfielder. At the 2016 Southeast Asian U19 Championship, striker Hà Đức Chinh also scored a brace against the U19 Philippines.

The SHB.Da Nang striker scored in the 10th and 62nd minutes, playing a crucial role in Vietnam U19's 4-3 victory over the Philippines U19. The two most recent players to score against the Philippines are Cong Phuong and Van Toan. At the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia, each scored a goal against the Philippines U22 team. In that match, Coach Huu Thang's team achieved a resounding 4-0 victory.

At the 2011 SEA Games, Van Quyet scored against the Philippines in the 90+1 minute, securing a 3-1 victory for Vietnam U23 against the Philippines U23. Clearly, if only Phil Younghusband, the captain of the Philippine team, remains on the field, Vietnam will be dominant, and it's possible that three out of five players will face each other. The clash between the 31-year-old veteran of the host team and the young center-back Duy Manh will undoubtedly attract attention from fans in both countries.