Coach Huu Thang and his reckless choice

(Baonghean.vn) -Calling goalkeeper Thanh Tuan of Dong Thap or striker Ho Tuan Tai of SLNA shows that coach Huu Thang is a far-sighted coach.

Goalkeeper Thanh Tuan (born in 1997) of Dong Thap is currently at the bottom of the First Division and striker Ho Tuan Tai is often playing as a reserve at SLNA.

With this choice, Coach Huu Thang is considered a far-sighted and steadfast person. Photo: Internet.

The selection and calling of players to the national team is of great interest to the public, especially for a country with many fans like Vietnam. As a domestic coach, the pressure from experts, the media and fans on Huu Thang is not small. However, this man from Nghe An still perseveres in building a consistent playing style throughout the teams he has coached.

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This time, there are 4 faces appearing for the first time in the U22 shirt: Chau Ngoc Quang (HAGL), Lam Ti Phong (Sanna Khanh Hoa), Nguyen Anh Tai (HCMC) and Tran Van Kien (Hanoi FC). Goalkeeper Thanh Tuan (born in 1997) of Dong Thap, currently ranked last in the First Division, was also recruited.

Thanh Tuan's ability since the U19 team in 2015 and then U23 team of coach Miura has been observed and evaluated by coach Huu Thang, so even though Dong Thap only has 4 points after 7 matches, winning 1, drawing 1 and losing 5, this young goalkeeper is still given a chance.

Seeing how coach Huu Thang chooses his players, we can see that what he said is true: "I choose based on performance, not based on regional preferences." The coach from Nghe An has chosen 11 players from HAGL, Hanoi also has 4 players on the list, while SLNA only has 2.

Coach Huu Thang persistently chose to build a passing and small coordination style of play with a tiki-taka style "Made in Vietnam", so he chose midfield personnel suitable for this style of play. Accordingly, the responsibility of leading and guiding the play was given to 8 people, 5 from HAGL, 2 from Hanoi FC, only Anh Tai from Ho Chi Minh City. These are the 2 clubs with the most unique playing style in V.League today, in line with the philosophy that Coach Huu Thang desires.

Imprint or reckless?

The coach's trust in "super reserve" player Ho Tuan Tai is considered reckless. Photo: Internet

Everyone recognizes that Tuan Anh is of course a rare commodity in Vietnamese football. However, due to an injury that began in late October last year, he has not played at his peak for more than half a year. Calling up a player who has never played in the 2017 V.League will make the public doubt Tuan Anh's form and ball sense when he is put on the field. Many people believe that Coach Huu Thang has taken a more reckless action than necessary for a friendly match, but from a psychological perspective, this is an encouragement for the "little boss" of the midfield area of ​​all levels of the current Vietnamese national team.

From another perspective, the trust in Tuan Tai, a SLNA player who has been a reserve player for the past two seasons, is also a matter that experts are examining. It is believed that if Tuan Tai plays well, it will be fine, but if his legs get cold, Huu Thang will fall into a situation of "more harm than good".

But as Huu Thang confided: “Football is not a game for the faint-hearted”, especially when sitting in the hot seat of the national team. Without such decisiveness, it is very likely that VFF will choose someone else, not this coach from Nghe An. I like the saying “if you give it to me, you have to trust it”, let’s wait and see!

AT