Vietnam National Team - Iraq National Team: Using softness to overcome hardness

Without using all their strength, the Iranian team still showed some strengths such as excellent physique and fitness, methodical playing style, and effective ball handling. Iran proved that they are the strongest team in Group D and the Asian Cup this time. Even Vietnam or Iraq would find it difficult to get points, or even just a goal, when facing Iran. And so the encounter with Iraq is extremely important.

Identify your competitors

After the first match in Group D, it is clear that instead of trying to block Iran, the Vietnamese team will aim for a more practical goal of holding Iraq to a draw, or even winning.

In the past, Vietnamese players were often confident and caught up quickly when facing West Asian teams. Especially in 2018, U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Iraq in the quarterfinals in Changzhou. This gave more confidence to the Vietnamese players, as the mettle of Quang Hai and Van Duc was increased after a year of fighting in many arenas.

Coach Park Hang-seo aims to score points against Iraq. Photo: AFC

Coach Srecko Katanec has encountered many difficulties in the process of preparing for the 2019 Asian Cup. The Iraqi team has just lost its main striker Justin Meram - who is playing in the US Major League and "conductor" Mahdi Kamel - due to injury. Veteran striker Alaa Abdul-Zahra was not called up to the team.

If the biggest hope of the Vietnamese team is Quang Hai, the player who won all the big and small titles in 2018 such as the Golden Ball, the best player of the AFF Cup, then coach Srecko Katanec is looking forward to Ayman Hussein (22 years old). This is the striker who was with the Iraqi U23 team at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup. No one else, Hussein was the one who scored a double against goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung.

Not the first half but the final minutes of the match are the most tense time of the match. The Iraqi players, who have a stronger physical foundation, will take advantage of this time to attack, threatening the Vietnamese goal.

Softness overcomes hardness

With opponents from West Asia like Iraq, including many tall and physically strong players, it is clear that the Vietnamese team needs to avoid competing for strength and playing high balls. If the opponent gets into a rhythm, then racing and fighting for the ball back seems useless. Instead, it is necessary to fight for the ball when the Iraqi players receive it, and prioritize using players with technical, agile and fast playing styles.

Competing against Iraq's tall defenders, Cong Phuong is the striker who is suitable for the style of play that holds the ball and disrupts the defense. Photo: AFC

Using this tactic, we must definitely mention the two names Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong who have shown their abilities against West Asian teams. These two HAGL players rarely played in the AFF Cup 2018, but this is an opportunity for them to prove themselves.

The midfielder from Tuyen Quang helps coach Park Hang-seo's midfield keep the ball and control the game. In particular, this player has the ability to observe and launch sharp long passes, suitable for counter-attacking football. Many times, at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, Xuan Truong put his teammates in favorable situations to threaten the opponent's goal.

While Tien Linh and Duc Chinh were not used to compete with the tall defenders of Iraq, Cong Phuong was the striker who was suitable for the style of play that controlled the ball and disturbed the defense. Many times at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup and 2018 Asiad, the player from Nghe An broke the flanks of tall defenders. Cong Phuong's ability to fight independently was also better than his other teammates thanks to his skillful ball-blocking technique.

Two of the three Southeast Asian teams have started the match empty-handed. Before the match, Coach Park Hang-seo set a goal of getting points against Iraq. If Vietnam can do this, the team will be more confident when facing Iran and Yemen. The match between Vietnam and Iraq takes place at 8:30 p.m. today (January 8).