Coach Park and Coach Polking: Waiting for the battle of wits between 'water' and 'fire'

Teacher's SambaPolking

Of course, Ho Chi Minh City FC lost continuously until the V.League was canceled, this team conceded the most goals in the tournament. The attack with 3 foreign stars left a lackluster impression, luckily naturalized player Lee Nguyen somewhat salvaged with 5 goals. But this could not keep him with this ambitious team and the AFF Cup is when Coach Polking wants to prove that he is on the right path of professional clubs.

Mr. Polking represents the Brazilian school of football, always attacking fiercely, while Mr. Park is succeeding with a defensive counter-attacking style of play. Photo: FAT

It must be admitted that, up to now, Coach Alexandre Polking has been doing a very good job with the Thai National Team despite his short time in charge. He has known how to combine experienced talents such as Teerasil Dangda, Chanathip Songkrasin, Theerathon Bunmathan with emerging stars such as Thanawat Suengchitthawon, Woorachit or Kritsada Kaman. Thai experts believe that if given more time, Mr. Alexandre Polking will bring the talents of Ekanit Panya, Suphanat Mueanta and Supachok Sarachat to a new level.

Coach Alexandre Polking is doing very well with the Thai National Team even though he has not been in charge of the team for long. Photo: FAT

The way of the stoneThailand teamhas been much more diverse and varied than before. The technical indicators of the Thai team are also superior to the Vietnamese team. In the group stage of the AFF Cup 2020, the number of successful crosses of Thailand was 25, nearly 3 times more than that of the Vietnamese team (9 times). Thailand also dribbled more successfully with 34 times passing the opponent. The number of the Vietnamese team was 29.

Mr. Polking prefers to arrange a diamond-shaped midfield in the 4-4-2 formation that the Brazilian team is very fond of. The Thai strikers are all skilled, but when they lose the ball, they actively commit fouls to prevent the opponent from switching from defense to attack. We still see the famous player Neymar (Brazil) doing that when playing for the team.

So far, the "War Elephants" have committed 62 fouls, the most among the teams that have reached the semi-finals (Vietnam's number is only 35, the lowest). Thailand has won 192 tackles (Vietnam's is only 155). The "War Elephants" have also successfully tackled 33 times, reaching a rate of 68.8%, the highest among the 4 teams that have reached the semi-finals. This also explains why Thitiwwat (16) is often chosen to play as a central midfielder instead of Thitipan (8). Two years younger, Thitiwwat plays tougher, more aggressively and is more resistant to collisions than his senior.

Brainstorming

This shows that, compared to when facing opponents in the group stage, players like Tuan Anh, Hoang Duc, Quang Hai will have less time to adjust the ball. Even the 3 central defenders ofVietnam teamwill also be pressured by Dangda and Sarachark from the attack. Thailand's attacking play under Polking will inadvertently push our Vietnamese team to play defensive counter-attacks. Mr. Polking wants to increase the speed of the match, surely Mr. Park wants to restrain the opponent's playing style to launch counter-attacks thanks to the sprints of Van Duc and Van Toan.

The Vietnamese team holds a tactical meeting right on the training ground. Photo: VFF

Let's wait for the intellectual battle between the two teachers at 7:30 p.m. tonight (December 23)./.