What did coach Park Hang-seo say when criticized for being 'conservative'?

"The current situation for the Vietnamese national team is very difficult. We are the only team in Group B that hasn't earned any points yet. I know there are quite a few criticisms of us in Vietnam, especially after the match against China."

"We are under a lot of pressure, but I've said that I'm the one ultimately responsible. I'm ready to accept that criticism. I don't agree with fans criticizing the players. They've done a great job in the matches," Coach Park Hang-seo began at the press conference before the match against Oman.

Coach Park Hang-seo believes that fans should not criticize the players. Photo: VFF

Following the loss to China, Chairman Hien criticized Coach Park Hang-seo, claiming that his reluctance to make changes meant the Vietnamese team lacked freshness and was easily predictable by opponents. Coach Park Hang-seo responded: "I don't understand why I'm being called conservative. I've made quite progressive changes."

Before the match against Oman, coach Park Hang-seo transferred two players to the U22 team, including Thanh Bình - a player who made many mistakes in the loss against China.

Coach Park Hang-seo explained his decision: "Thanh Bình's return to the Vietnam U22 team is not the player's fault. The Vietnam U22 team needs to prepare for the upcoming tournament, which is quite important. The Vietnam national team has enough players when they go to Oman, and Thanh Bình also needs to be freed from psychological pressure."

Regarding preparations for the match against Oman, coach Park Hang-seo complained about the poor quality of the training pitch and the ease with which tactics could be revealed due to its lack of coverage. In addition, the players' long journeys led to fatigue.

Coach Park Hang-seo wants to reduce the pressure on the players before the match against Oman.

Meanwhile, captain Que Ngoc Hai said: "What we aim for is to improve on what we haven't done well in previous matches. When wearing the national team jersey, everyone always tries their best and gives everything for the fans. The whole team will always remember this to overcome the pressure and fatigue we've experienced."

"After three matches, we haven't earned any points yet, but everything from our playing style, confidence, and fighting spirit, I think the whole team has performed well. This is the first time the Vietnamese national team has been in the third round of World Cup qualifiers, so we certainly lack some experience."

"The Vietnamese team will maintain the fighting spirit they showed in the previous matches and will improve on areas where they haven't done well to achieve a good result in the match against Oman," Que Ngoc Hai said, boosting morale.

After three matches in Group B, the Vietnamese team is the only one without any points, which creates both motivation and pressure for Coach Park Hang-seo and his players.

The Oman vs. Vietnam match will take place at 11:00 PM on October 12th (Vietnam time) at the Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat.