Due to the change in the schedule of the Super Cup match between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on February 7 at Thong Nhat Stadium, Park Hang-seo's return to Vietnam will be postponed. VFF said that the Korean coach will fly to Hanoi on February 15 to prepare for the national team's training session on March 21 to prepare for the match against host Malaysia.

Obstacles for Coach Park

It seems that Mr. Park's plan to renew the national team's playing style and personnel will have to be postponed because there is not much preparation time. Photo: VFF

Due to the postponement of the V.League schedule, Coach Park Hang-seo did not have many opportunities to observe the performance of the players before making a decision. Many people believe that with the complicated situation of the Corona virus pandemic as it is now, it is not certain that the V.League 2020 will open on March 7 as planned.

Currently, some clubs have postponed training or isolated the team from the surrounding area to protect health. To maintain fitness and form, some teams such as SLNA, Thanh Hoa, Hong Linh Ha Tinh have had to organize friendly matches to test the squad.

Many other national players have had a long break of nearly 3 months since the end of the national championships at the end of November last year. So Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates only played about 3 V-League matches and only had 9-10 days of focused training. In the context of Cong Phuong and Quang Hai's declining form, the familiar 3-4-3 style of play has been neutralized by regional teams, these are obstacles for the national team.

This will make players like Ho Tuan Tai (SLNA), Minh Vuong (HAGL)... or players who have just returned from injury like Van Duc, Xuan Manh have to try very hard to catch the eye of the Korean coach. Meanwhile, Dinh Trong and Trong Hoang are banned from playing due to receiving penalty cards, which will make Mr. Park face many difficulties.

With the U23 Vietnam team not playing successfully at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand, Mr. Park could not choose many new faces to add to the team. Several faces that played impressively in Thailand have all been present in the national team during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

According to VFF, immediately after returning to Vietnam, Mr. Park will have a meeting with VFF leaders to finalize the plans for the Vietnamese team in 2020. Mr. Park and his colleagues must split up to monitor the V.League, National Cup and Vietnamese youth teams to find new faces for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the 2020 AFF Cup.

Returning from injury, Van Duc will be a breath of fresh air for the team.

In addition, he also has to divide his time to take care of the U19 and U21 teams to gradually prepare the U23 Vietnam team for the SEA Games next year. Certainly, this will be an important task for Mr. Park because the 31st SEA Games will be held in Vietnam and we must defend the Championship Cup.

Looking forward to the friendly match

Not counting the travel date, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team only have 9 days to prepare for the important match against Malaysia, who are 2 points behind us. Accordingly, on March 26, the Vietnamese team will play a friendly match with Iraq. Up to now, the location of the Vietnam - Iraq friendly match has not been decided by VFF. According to the plan, VFF wants to organize this match in the South, specifically Ho Chi Minh City or Binh Duong because these places have similar climate conditions to Malaysia. However, the Federation will meet with Mr. Park and the national team coaching staff before making the final decision.

It seems that Mr. Park's plan to renew the national team's playing style and personnel will have to be postponed because there is not much time to prepare. The Korean coach also has to have his own training plan to help the players "warm up" quickly in the context that clubs and players are having to change their training schedules, together with the community to fight the Corona virus pandemic.