Vietnam National Team: The Golden Star Warriors

Quite a few Vietnamese football fans voted for the slogan that AFC chose for the Vietnamese team:"Golden Star Warriors" - Golden Star Warriors.Want to be"Golden Star Warriors"then we must have a win, at least score a goal in the group stage against the continental talent, something that so far in the region only the Thai team has been able to do.

Good at creating but weak at finishing

Without Anh Duc, the player who scored the most goals for the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2018 with 4 goals, the burden of scoring falls on the shoulders of Cong Phuong, Van Duc and Quang Hai. Will Park Hang-seo be able to find a worthy replacement in the short time he has?

Slogans of the teams in Group D. Photo: AFC

First of all, despite being the 2018 AFF Cup champions, finishing is still a difficult problem for coach Park Hang-seo. Although our strikers were given good opportunities, they could not take advantage of them, with the lowest scoring rate among the 4 teams that reached the semi-finals.

At the 2019 Asian Cup, it was very difficult for us to score goals when we had fewer attackers than the opponent. When we concentrated on attacking without finishing successfully, it meant we were "opening the door, offering the city" for the continent's top strikers to shoot. That was quite a headache for Coach Park Hang-seo.

The current Vietnamese national team's attack always has players with the ability to make a difference, such as Cong Phuong and Quang Hai. With a good foundation of individual technique, the Vietnamese players are well prepared by coach Park, daring to boldly hold the ball to wait for the opponent's opportunity to make an opening to create for their teammates. However, the Vietnamese team still lacks the goal-scoring instinct of a killer in the penalty area.

At the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018, our midfield created countless scoring opportunities but the Vietnamese national team's attack was not sharp in finishing. In the group stage, the Vietnamese players launched a total of 57 shots after 4 matches, of which 31 shots were on target but only scored 8 goals. These professional numbers made the coaching staff worried.

Entering the semi-finals with the Philippines, Coach Park Hang-seo’s students have improved a bit but we often missed very regrettably. In the two semi-finals, we had 14 shots on target but only 4 opportunities were successfully taken advantage of. In the first leg of the final against Malaysia, after scoring two goals, the Vietnam national team continuously created clear scoring opportunities but the strikers could not score more goals.

In this match, both Tien Linh and Duc Chinh did not finish well, causing the Vietnamese team to regretfully lose the victory. If Duc Chinh had taken advantage of the opportunity, the score would have been 3-0, then perhaps everything would have been settled. Or the unsuccessful face-offs of Tien Linh and Phan Van Duc when we were still leading 2-1.

Concerns about the attack

In the friendly match with the North Korean national team before the 2019 Asian Cup, our strikers also missed many opportunities and had to accept a 1-1 draw. In the first half, Tien Linh missed the ball after Minh Vuong's pass right in the penalty area, and in the second half, Cong Phuong also missed a regrettable opportunity after a tricky dribble in the opponent's penalty area.

"Golden Star Warriors" - the bus carrying the Vietnamese team. Photo: AFC

In the 4-2 friendly win over the Philippines, our strikers did not show much, Cong Phuong, Tien Linh or Duc Chinh did not "shoot". The one who scored the opening goal for Vietnam was Quang Hai. Midfielder Van Duc scored to increase the score to 2-0. Van Hau finished close to the goal to increase the gap before Ngoc Hai sealed Vietnam's 4-2 victory on the penalty spot.

If the Vietnamese national team wants to go deep in the 2019 Asian Cup like “warriors”, the students of the Korean strategist must make the most of the rare opportunities. Against the top teams in Asia, there will not be many opportunities, even in 90 minutes there are only 2 or 3 opportunities, if they miss it, it will be difficult to go far.

When Van Duc and Quang Hai have been identified and Quang Hai is the one who plays the most, having played a total of 60 matches last year, his physical strength is worn out, so who will take on the job of scoring goals is a big problem.

Facing opponents from West Asia with strong physical foundation and strong, fierce playing style, can the Vietnamese players overcome to score?

This will be the top concern that the Korean strategist and millions of fans are worried about before the ball rolls at the upcoming Asian Cup.

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