Coach Park Hang-seo: I hope Van Duc will regain his form in the upcoming matches.

End of the first 5 matches of Group BWorld Cup 2022 Asian Qualifiers 3rd Round, Saudi Arabia is at the top of the table with 13 points, followed by Australia (10 points), Japan (9 points), Oman (7 points), China (4 points). The Vietnamese team is at the bottom of the table with no points.

In the press conference before the match,Coach Park Hang-seoof the Vietnam team shared about their ambitions in the match with Saudi Arabia.

PV: What do you think about the match with Saudi Arabia tomorrow?

Coach Park Hang-seo:As I said, every match the whole team has tried their best to achieve the best result. We did not have the desired results in the first leg. We will try to start from this second leg, with the goal of getting points starting from the match against Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

Coach Park Hang Seo affirmed that the Vietnamese team must still play offensively. Photo: Hai Hoang

PV: After 5 matches, the Vietnamese team has not had any points. How have you worked with the players mentally?

Coach Park Hang-seo:I talked to the players, they shared that facing Southeast Asian opponents is different from the teams in this group. They also face a lot of pressure against big opponents. As the head coach, I evaluate that the players have improved through each match and their playing style and attacking style have improved a lot.

In technical meetings, I also discuss and propose many different options. Most importantly, we see the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent and I try my best to make the players feel comfortable mentally.

Coach Park hopes Phan Van Duc will regain his form. Photo: Hai Hoang

PV: What do you think about Phan Van Duc's performance?

Coach Park Hang-seo:Phan Van Duc is an excellent player, he plays an important role. He always shows diligence in training and competition. But in the World Cup qualifiers, he lacked confidence and did not reach his peak performance.

In the match against the Japanese team, I replaced Phan Van Duc due to tactical calculations. I hope Van Duc will regain his form and playing skills in the upcoming matches.

Reporter: The Vietnamese team has not kept a clean sheet in any match and what do you think the Vietnamese team's defense needs to do in the match against Saudi Arabia tomorrow?

Coach Park Hang-seo:We met very strong teams and it is difficult for me to answer why we did not lose. We are a weak team but we still have to attack. If we meet a weak team, it is okay, but when we meet a strong team, conceding goals is inevitable when they have many individuals who can create breakthroughs. This question is really difficult for me to answer.

Vietnam national team has conceded goals in all 5 of their last matches. Photo: Hai Hoang

PV: In your opinion, what are Saudi Arabia's weaknesses that the Vietnamese team can exploit and achieve the goal of scoring points? What do we need to do to improve our capacity limitations?

Coach Park Hang-seo:If we talk about finding ways to improve the ability of players in defense or attack overnight, that is impossible.

After the first leg against Saudi Arabia, I analyzed Saudi Arabia's style of play. I stressed to the players that they must remember the issues that had been discussed. Saudi Arabia was very strong on the wings and caused us a lot of trouble.

When they lose the ball, they often close very quickly. Saudi Arabia has a very aggressive style of play and plays at a high speed. Therefore, the whole team must be highly focused. As for talking about their weaknesses for us to exploit, I think it is not easy to recognize.

PV: Thank you and wish the Vietnamese team success!