Coach Park praised Thailand for being perfect; Coach Polking accepted the underdog position.
Ahead of the men's football final of the 31st SEA Games, coach Park Hang-seo praised Thailand's ability.
The two teams had somewhat contrasting journeys before meeting in the final at My Dinh Stadium. After losing to Mano Polking in the opening match, the team of coach Mano Polking continued to win impressively, such as 5-0 against Cambodia and Singapore. In contrast, Vietnam started with a 3-0 victory over Indonesia, but then struggled against opponents who played with a large defense, leading to a 0-0 draw with the Philippines and a 1-0 against Myanmar.
In the press conference before the match on May 22, Coach Park said: "Thailand is difficult to play. In the past five matches, they scored 15 goals and conceded only twice, and that time came after they were red-carded in the opening match against Malaysia. Therefore, it is impossible to specifically assess Thailand's defensive strength. Their playing style is perfect. Each team, of course, has strengths and weaknesses. The central axis in Thailand's attacking system is very good, with many fast, skillful, and strong players. Vietnamese players must cover for each other and defend very tightly."
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| Park Hang-seo is facing the opportunity to become the first coach to lead Vietnam to win two consecutive gold medals in men's football at the SEA Games. Photo: Pham Chieu |
Despite advancing all the way to the final without conceding a goal, Coach Park and his team are under a lot of scrutiny, especially regarding their attack. Even striker Nguyen Tien Linh has only contributed two goals. "We are only one match away from the gold medal. Fans are expecting a lot, and that puts the players under pressure. But in my opinion, they need to overcome that pressure," Coach Park added: "Football has many variables, the result is sometimes a combination of many factors, from skills, psychology, and objective circumstances. Therefore, we can only say that we will try our best to prepare for this match."
At My Dinh Stadium tomorrow, May 22, it will be the first time in 18 years that Vietnam and Thailand will meet again in the gold medal match. In the four previous finals, Vietnam lost all. Coach Park expressed surprise at this statistic, but affirmed that it has nothing to do with the present.
"I was not the coach of Vietnam at that time and the current players are completely new. If we want to mention the past, we also need to add that at the last SEA Games, we won the championship," said the Korean coach. "Of course, both sides have to bear the psychological pressure. My students and I have to try to control it. I think everyone should overcome the psychological trauma from the past, to focus on the present and the future."
For Coach Park personally, this will be a special match. In 2019, he and his students reached the final and beat Indonesia, helping Vietnam win the SEA Games gold medal for the first time since reintegration. After this year's tournament, he will not lead the U23 team, but focus on the national team. Comparing the two SEA Games, Coach Park said: "More than two years ago, in the Philippines, I attended the SEA Games for the first time. At that time, the biggest goal was to win the first gold medal for Vietnam in 60 years. At that time, I was really under psychological pressure. Fortunately, the players played well and achieved the goal. This time playing at home, the team has many advantages but also comes with pressure. I still feel pressure in the position of head coach".
Commenting on Thai coach Mano Polking, he said: "As far as I know, he has a lot of experience working with Thai football, and has led Ho Chi Minh City Club in V-League. More than anyone, Polking understands the strengths and weaknesses of Thai players, and knows more or less information about Vietnamese players. We faced each other in the 2020 AFF Cup, so I think Thailand will probably play similarly in the upcoming match. I have prepared options to deal with them. Overall, I think Polking is a good coach."
Meanwhile, according to coach Mano Polking, Thailand has less advantage than Vietnam but it is not easy to play in the men's football final of SEA Games 31.
"Obviously, having to play 120 minutes in the semi-finals will affect the finals more or less. But fortunately, Vietnam is also in a similar situation. Therefore, I think there is not much difference in the physical strength of the two teams," coach Polking said at a press conference at My Dinh Stadium on the morning of May 21. "Vietnam has a clear advantage. Because they will have the enthusiastic support of 40,000 fans. Moreover, they also have the best preparation in terms of force. Thailand is the underdog, but a difficult underdog, a high-class underdog, because I also have many quality players and will be determined to win this match."
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| Coach Polking answers the press conference at My Dinh Stadium on the morning of May 21. Photo: Pham Chieu |
Thailand started the 31st SEA Games with a 1-2 defeat to Malaysia. But they quickly proved that it was just a temporary accident. Polking's team won all the remaining matches, scoring 15 goals to reach the 21st final in SEA Games history. Polking hopes that Thailand's attack will once again prove its ability against the quality defense of Vietnam - a team that has not conceded a goal since the beginning of the tournament.
In the semi-finals, Thailand had a tense match with Indonesia until the last minutes of extra time, when players from both sides clashed, resulting in three red cards. After the match, Indonesian fans insulted and attacked the social media accounts of Thai players. According to coach Polking, such actions only showed that Indonesian fans love their team too much. He emphasized: "Conflict is inevitable in big matches. But after the match, I saw players from both sides shaking hands in a friendly manner and respecting each other. The extremists are only a minority, while the majority will look back at the match to see where their team is weak. I always believe that football is a noble sport. We should not worry about nonsense on the internet. I just want to focus on the next match. Vietnam is a good team, with many players with international experience and good physical condition. Coach Park will select the best squad and receive support from 40,000 spectators. Therefore, our number one priority now is to prepare for the match, instead of paying attention to things on social networks."
In the 10 SEA Games since the U23 age limit was introduced, Thailand has won 7 gold medals, but failed to advance past the group stage 3 times. Since the tournament was first held in 1959, Thailand has won 16 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 5 bronze medals. This is the 21st time they have reached the final.
