Coach Park: 'Vietnam is under a lot of pressure'
Coach Park Hang-seo admitted that Vietnam is under a lot of pressure ahead of the 2020 AFF Cup, during a pre-tournament press conference on December 4th.
"I'm very happy to meet the coaches in Group B," Coach Park Hang-seo began the press conference. "We will strive in every match to achieve the best possible results."
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| Coach Park Hang-seo aims to help Vietnam defend their AFF Cup title. Photo: Lam Thoa. |
Returning to the regional arena after setbacks in the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, Park Hang-seo and his team are under considerable pressure. In addition, the pressure of defending their AFF Cup title is also significant. "Currently, Vietnam is playing in the World Cup qualifiers, with a record of six consecutive losses. Regarding whether the team will change its playing style from defensive to offensive in the AFF Cup, you will have the answer when you watch the matches," said Coach Park.
"Recent defeats have affected the team's morale. Currently, the atmosphere within the team is not good," the South Korean strategist added. "Furthermore, we are under pressure because we are the defending champions. Besides this group, Group A also has very good teams. I can't predict the outcome. I only know that we will try our best. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the team is not allowed to go out, only traveling from the hotel to the stadium. For players, besides physical condition, mental strength is also very important. Due to the Singapore government's travel restrictions, our players have been somewhat affected mentally. In addition, the team hasn't really adapted to the food at the hotel yet. But for the sake of the overall situation, we have to try to adapt."
Having lost all their matches in the final qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup in the Asian region, Park Hang-seo's team is likely to break their losing streak when they return to the "easier" competition, the AFF Cup. Despite these recent defeats, Coach Park remains optimistic. "When we played against strong teams in the World Cup qualifiers, their level was much higher than ours," he said. "We lost, but there were also positive aspects. Vietnam had less possession than our opponents, but we never gave up. And the stronger the team we play against, the clearer our methods of adaptation and response become to different types of opponents."
Before heading to Singapore on December 1st, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team trained in Ba Ria - Vung Tau to prepare for the AFF Cup. In the tournament in Singapore, defending champions Vietnam are in Group B. They will face Laos (December 6th), Malaysia (December 12th), Indonesia (December 15th), and Cambodia (December 19th). "The opening match always carries a lot of pressure," Coach Park Hang-seo said about the match against Laos in two days. "Furthermore, we have no information about the Laotian team. We just think we will try our best to get the best possible result in this match."
At the 2020 AFF Cup, Coach Park will be without midfielder Do Hung Dung, as Singapore did not issue an additional invitation due to strict entry regulations, with no exceptions. Previously, the Hanoi FC midfielder had been sidelined since March after breaking his leg following a collision in the 2021 V-League. "Hung Dung has been injured and out of action for a long time," Coach Park shared. "I brought him into this tournament only to help him regain his form and feel for the game; expecting Hung Dung to contribute to the team is quite difficult."
The AFF Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup, has been held since 1996. Thailand is the most successful with 5 titles, one more than Singapore. Vietnam has won twice, in 2008 and 2018, in addition to losing once in the 1998 final.
The AFF Cup was originally scheduled to be held in 2020, but was postponed until later this year due to the pandemic. The organizers retained the name AFF Cup 2020 for branding reasons. The tournament will take place from December 5, 2021 to January 1, 2022 in Singapore.
