Which players will coach Park choose to play in the match against Laos?

First of all, Coach Park Hang-seo will not hide his intention to play with a 3-4-3 formation to overwhelm the home team right from the start. In the history of 7 confrontations, we won 6 and only drew 1 match, making Coach Park Hang-seo more confident. Right now, fans are guessing together about the players who will play in the first match of the AFF Cup 2018.

3-4-3 formation

Of course, no one is better than Anh Duc to play as a center forward in the 3-4-3 formation at the moment. The veteran B. Binh Duong has good physique and fitness and is the most experienced player in the team, so he is definitely the most suitable face for this position.

Coach Park Hang Seo is not satisfied with the quality of the field in Laos. Photo: Internet

Being elected as captain means that Van Quyet (the best player of V-League 2018) will be able to start in his familiar left wing position. On the other wing, both Cong Phuong and Quang Hai (the best young player of V-League 2018) are good choices among the 7 strikers that Mr. Park brought to Laos.

Quang Hai is more likely to start playing since he plays at Hanoi FC with his senior Van Quyet. In case this trio cannot score, Van Duc, Cong Phuong, Van Toan or Tien Linh are all ready to take their place.

In midfield, Duy Hau and Trong Hoang will be placed on the two wings, because it is clear that currently in the national team, no one has a stable performance like these two players. The starting position in the central midfield position will definitely be reserved for Hung Dung - who was once voted by the capital's fans as "the best player never called up to the national team".

It's not that the Korean coach wants to compensate his student, but the "lungless man" has a very wide range of activities, is good at one-on-one competition, and has impressive coordination and ball control abilities.

Pairing with Hung Dung, it will be Xuan Truong or Huy Hung. In our opinion, Mr. Park Hang-seo will give Xuan Truong a chance not because he has better skills than the Quang Nam player but because he wants to create opportunities for the player from Tuyen Quang. The Laos team is a rare opportunity for Xuan Truong to regain his football feeling, if not, Huy Hung will officially take over.

Although Que Ngoc Hai is the vice-captain, the three central defenders that coach Park Hang-seo likes and trusts are Bui Tien Dung, Tran Dinh Trong and Nguyen Duy Manh. Usually when things are going well, coaches rarely make changes, especially in sensitive positions. However, luck has come to the SLNA players when Dinh Trong, a young central defender of Hanoi, is limping after recent training sessions.

If there is an early victory in the first half and a clear gap, then surely Mr. Park Hang-seo will make a change in the second half. Photo: Internet

In a tournament where the team has to play 8 matches to reach the final, Mr. Park has no reason to rush. Especially when Que Ngoc Hai has played alongside Tien Dung and Nguyen Duy Manh, and the opponent is not too strong to have to calculate much.

Coach Park Hang-seo brought 3 goalkeepers to the AFF Cup 2018: Van Lam, Tuan Manh and Tien Dung. In the past, Van Lam had to "provoke" Tien Dung to confidently stand in the goal of the Vietnam Olympic team participating in the 18th ASIAD.

Now is the time for Van Lam to assert himself in the national team, most likely the backup for "western" Lam is Tuan Manh, not Tien Dung.

If there is an early victory in the first half and a clear gap, then surely Mr. Park Hang-seo will have to make changes in the second half. In addition to Trong Hoang's position, perhaps 2 out of 3 striker positions will also be replaced by Malaysia - Vietnam's next opponent, which is what Mr. Park will have to calculate with a headache.