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

Although not 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 this Asian Cup. Even Vietnam or Iraq would find it difficult to get points, or even just goals, when facing Iran. And so the confrontation 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 very 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, when the bravery of Quang Hai and Van Duc was increased many times after 1 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 preparation for the 2019 Asian Cup. The Iraqi team has just lost key 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. It was none other than Hussein 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. Iraq players, who are physically stronger, will take advantage of this time to attack, threatening the Vietnamese goal.

Softness overcomes hardness

With an opponent from West Asia like Iraq, consisting of 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 the ball, prioritizing the use of players with technical, agile and fast playing style.

Competing against Iraq's tall defenders, Cong Phuong is a striker who is suitable for a 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 are not used to compete with the tall defenders of Iraq, Cong Phuong is a striker who is suitable for the style of play that holds the ball and disrupts the defense. Many times at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup and 2018 Asian Games, the player from Nghe An has broken the flanks of tall defenders. Cong Phuong's ability to fight independently is also better than other teammates thanks to his skillful ball-blocking techniques.

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).