Defender Van Thanh: 'U23 Vietnam wants to reach the final of Cup M-150'

The U23 Vietnam defender and his teammates are determined to score points against U23 Uzbekistan today, to win a ticket to the final of the M-150 Cup.

* The match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Uzbekistan will take place at 4:00 p.m. on December 13 at Buriram Stadium, Thailand.

"The whole team is in good spirits, we are very comfortable before the match against Uzbekistan," defender Vu Van Thanh shared. "This is just a friendly tournament, but once we are on the field, we must have a clear goal. We aim to play well in each match and achieve favorable results to reach the final of the M-150 Cup."

Van Thanh and his teammates actively practice before the match with U23 Uzbekistan. Photo: Anh Khoa.

According to the M-150 tournament format, the two group winners will enter the final, while the two second-place teams will compete for third place. Coach Park Hang-seo and his team are having favorable results when they are at the top of Group B with three points. U23 Uzbekistan also has three points but has an inferior goal difference. Therefore, with just a draw today, Van Thanh and his teammates will enter the final.

Vietnam U23 has an advantage over its opponents with three days off. In the training sessions after the 4-0 win over Myanmar, coach Park Hang-seo continued to train his players on how to defend according to the three-man tactical formation he is applying.

"Coach Park asked us to force the opponent's attacks to the two wings, minimizing direct attacks. Once we have pushed the opponent to the wings, the next step is to limit high crosses," the best young player of 2016 revealed about the training sessions. "In addition, he also asked us to communicate with each other more to have connections between the lines."

Coach Park Hang-seo is applying many new tactical schemes for the U23 Vietnam players. Photo: Anh Khoa.

Before the tournament, the Korean coach said he did not care about the results of the tournament but only saw this as an opportunity for him to test the positions and operate the tactics he applied. Coach Park also revealed that he would let U23 Vietnam operate the two tactical formations 3-4-3 and 4-1-4-1 at the Asian Finals early next year. Therefore, after the 3-4-3 formation that surprised U23 Myanmar in the opening match, he may use the 4-1-4-1 system in this afternoon's match to find the best solution for the team.

Expected lineup:Goalkeepers Tien Dung, Van Thanh, Duy Manh, Dinh Trong, Van Hau, A Hoang, Van Toan, Xuan Truong, Tien Dung, Cong Phuong, Ha Duc Chinh.

According to VNE