Coach Huu Thang determined to keep playing small against Iraq

In the only training session to get acquainted with Ghavamin Stadium, the Vietnamese players were asked to practice ball control and small coordination to prepare for the decisive match against Iraq tonight, March 29.

Coach Huu Thang declared that there will be surprises for Iraq. Photo: ND

After a day of cold rain, yesterday, March 28, the weather in Tehran (Iran) turned sunny. Thanks to that, coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his team had a satisfactory training session at Ghavamin Stadium with a capacity of 8,000 people. This is the neutral location chosen to host the match between Vietnam and Iraq in the final match of Group F of the second qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup - Asia region. According to the regulations of the organizing committee, the Vietnamese team only has a maximum of one hour to get familiar with the field.

Directly participating in the training session with his students, Coach Huu Thang asked the players to practice small coordination skills with few touches in a narrow area, and ball control. Against a highly rated opponent, he also instructed the players on how to neutralize pressure based on flexible movement of positions, and deploy quick attacks.

“Iraq is much stronger and will certainly create a lot of pressure. But that does not mean we can kick the ball around. The more pressure we are under, the more we have to try to control the ball well,” coach Huu Thang emphasized. “The Vietnamese team may lose, but we must maintain our fighting spirit, beautiful play, and dedication like in the recent victory over Taiwan.”

Coach Huu Thang started out as a central defender and played very aggressively. When he led Song Lam Nghe An, his team also played aggressively, combining medium and long balls. However, right after signing a contract with VFF, he announced that he would build a ball-control style for the Vietnamese team, combining short and medium balls, similar to the style of play that Pep Guardiola built for Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

In the match against Taiwan (China), the Vietnamese team demonstrated the above style of play, creating excitement for the fans. However, against a much stronger opponent, Iraq, whether Cong Vinh and his teammates can play like they did at My Dinh Stadium is still a big question mark.

In the first leg at My Dinh, the Vietnamese team made life miserable for their superior opponent Iraq. Photo: Duc Dong.

The good news for the Vietnamese team is that Dinh Hoang has fully recovered from his heel injury. The return of this right-back helps coach Huu Thang have the strongest squad. The Vietnamese team is currently ranked third in Group F with seven points, two points behind their opponents. By defeating Iraq, coach Huu Thang's team will take second place in the group. Although it will be difficult to compete with other second-placed teams for a ticket to the third qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup - Asia, the team will have a big advantage when it comes to seeding to compete in the final qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Cup.

In the first leg at My Dinh Stadium, the Vietnamese team under the guidance of coach Tosiya Miura played very well against Iraq. The team opened the score thanks to Cong Vinh. It was not until the match was only a matter of seconds left that Iraq equalized on the 11m mark after Thanh Hien let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area.

In the rematch in Iran, both teams have changed coaches. Coach Huu Thang replaced Miura and has completely changed the way Vietnam plays. On the other side of the battle line, Coach Yahya Alwan resigned after the 2-2 draw with Thailand, and his former assistant will lead Iraq in this match.

Expected lineup of Vietnam team: Nguyen Manh, Dinh Hoang, Ngoc Hai, Dinh Luat, Van Thanh, Hang Thinh, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Thanh Luong, Van Toan, Cong Vinh.

According to VNE