Coach Park Hang-seo is afraid of Iraq's changing playing style

Quang Huy• DNUM_CAZABZCABI 15:39

The Korean strategist noticed that his opponent in the quarter-finals of the U23 Asian Cup had flexibility in how he played.

*The Vietnam - Iraq match will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, live on Baonghean.vn

"I watched Iraq's matches against Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Malaysia, they changed their playing style in each match," said coach Park Hang-seo.

Coach Park Hang-seo highly appreciated Iraq. Photo:AFC.

Iraq have performed well in the two editions of the AFC U23 Championship, winning the 2013 tournament and finishing third in 2016. In the group stage of this year’s tournament, the West Asian team showed their strength by beating Malaysia and Jordan and drawing with Saudi Arabia to advance as Group C winners.

"They are clearly a strong team and they have talented players to be able to adapt to all the tactical changes," said Mr. Park.

As for Iraq, although they are considered the favorites, coach Abdulghani Shahad is still cautious. He called on his players to stay focused for the upcoming match. "We are aware that this is a knockout match and we need to stay focused throughout the match. Our minds are focused on getting a ticket to the semi-finals," said coach Shahad.

"Every game has its own situation and it's too early to talk about how each team will play," he continued. "We need to be ready for everything that can happen in the game, including extra time or penalties. Of course, we want to finish the game in 90 minutes but at the same time we know the importance of this game. Therefore, we have to concentrate no matter how long it lasts."