Coach Huu Thang: 'Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh both have a chance to start'

The Vietnam national team coach did not differentiate between players who arrived early or late when selecting the starting lineup for today's friendly match against North Korea on October 6th.

Coach Huu Thang affirmed that he will create opportunities for players to compete fairly. Photo: Duc Dong.

The friendly match between Vietnam and North Korea will take place at 6 PM today.

"I don't have a system where players who trained earlier play first and those who trained later play later," coach Nguyen Huu Thang shared when asked about his lineup for today's friendly match. "I will choose a balanced lineup between experienced and young players. Not only will Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh have a chance to start, but all players will be given the opportunity and must be ready."

However, the Vietnam national team coach will give players from Hanoi T&T and Quang Ninh such as Thanh Luong, Van Quyet, and Minh Tuan a rest. "They have gone through two very tough matches in the first and second legs of the National Cup final. Therefore, I decided from the beginning that they needed time to rest," he explained.

The coach from Nghe An province highly praised North Korea and emphasized that the main purpose of the players today was to gain experience and perform well. He said: "We have studied their video footage. North Korea is very strong, with excellent physical fitness. We are not concerned about the result of the match; instead, we will try to create opportunities for all players to play. They need to compete in a healthy way, and hopefully, we will have a good match and give our all to the audience."

Cong Phuong has only trained with the team for three sessions, but in all the practice matches, coach Huu Thang has placed the striker in the starting lineup alongside Cong Vinh and Van Toan. In midfield, Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong always play together. Facing North Korea at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City today, coach Huu Thang is very likely to give the trio of former HAGL players currently playing abroad a chance to start and control the game against a North Korean team that plays a physically strong style of football.

Cong Phuong practices free kicks to deal with set-piece situations. Photo: Duc Dong.

Meanwhile, North Korea is still getting acquainted with coach Jorn Andersen, the first foreign coach in the country's football history. The Norwegian coach took office in early April 2016, replacing his North Korean predecessor who was sacked after losing to the Philippines in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

"I'm new to North Korean football, so I don't know much about them yet. North Korea has good players, but their tactical thinking is limited. Therefore, in this training camp, we've selected a squad with mostly young players to build a modern, youthful playing style with a strong desire to win," he shared.

Andersen also admitted that he doesn't know much about Vietnamese football: "From information online and from colleagues, I think the Vietnamese team seems like a formidable opponent. Therefore, tomorrow's match promises to be difficult for our players."

North Korea's captain and goalkeeper, Ri Myong Guk, also praised the Vietnamese team: "My teammates and I have faced the Vietnamese team before, and we haven't had an easy match because they play very well. But we are undergoing changes under the guidance of a foreign coach and are very excited about the match against Vietnam."

Coach Jorn Andersen is facing Vietnamese football for the first time. Photo: Duc Dong.

According to VNE