Coach Philippe Troussier and the 'go into the tiger's den' tactic of U22 Malaysia

With a break from the third round, U22 Vietnam will “sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight” and have the opportunity to see the strengths and weaknesses of the two strongest opponents in the group. When the match between the two opponents above has a win-loss result, it means that one opponent will be pushed to the “death door”, forced to use all their strength to avoid a bad outcome.

U22 Malaysia meeting U22 Vietnam is the last chance for the Malaysians to prove their true strength and not just empty statements before the tournament.

Midfielder Thai Son's joy after scoring against U22 Singapore. Photo: Hai Hoang

The problem is, after having a rest and watching their opponents show off all their abilities, will U22 Vietnam be able to take advantage of the match schedule? Having only one day off after a match with all their resources against Thailand, U22 Malaysia is expected to rotate the squad to ensure the necessary physical strength and power against their opponent, U22 Vietnam. But basically, U22 Malaysia still took the field with a squad rich in attack with penetration from both wings as usual, with good pressure from tall strikers, creating a wall for the back line to rush up and finish like the goals they scored in the match against U22 Laos.

U22 Vietnam must definitely study and find out why U22 Thailand could not break the deadlock of the match until the 73rd minute? Because before that, especially in the first 15 minutes of the match, U22 Malaysia continuously pressured the Thais but could not make any progress. The long-term tug-of-war and prediction between the two opponents in the final match was only resolved by the sharp eyes of the Thais against an opponent that they had often encountered before. This time, reasonable substitutions, defensive - counter-attacking play, and quick transitions helped the Thais defeat their opponents with fast, accurate, and sharp passes, leaving their opponents no time to react.

Domestic football experts, after specific observations and inherent battle experience, have determined that U22 Malaysia is not a difficult problem for U22 Vietnam. As usual, the task of U22 Vietnam is to block the two sidelines, absolutely not allowing the opponent to go down the sidelines easily and then cross the ball to finish and score. The tasks of Van Cuong and Minh Trong are therefore extremely important when participating in the defense in the 5-defender formation in situations of pressure, when switching to counter-attacking status, being the trigger when going down the sidelines and crossing, passing the ball accurately, with high damage. What many people worry about is the not-so-ideal height of the 3 central defenders Duy Cuong - Tuan Tai - Tien Long (or Quang Thinh) along with their aerial ability. Obviously, compared to previous periods, this period's trio of central defenders, although only conceding 1 goal and escaping defeat thanks to luck in many situations, cannot be said to create peace of mind for the coaching staff and teammates after what they have shown.

Of course,U22 VietnamIn the upcoming match, the strongest lineup will be fielded, the strongest players have been carefully stored in the previous 2 matches. Van Tung is in good form so he can still play as the highest striker, closest to the opponent's goal to find a goal as usual, along with the presence of Van Do and Thanh Nhan. Van Khang and Van Truong will probably also be on the field from the start in midfield, together with Thai Son or Cong Den?

What tactics will coach Philippe Troussier use for the match against U22 Malaysia? Photo: Hai Hoang

With more physical strength and more opportunities to play together, will U22 Vietnam choose to attack their opponents or play stealthily, quickly changing their state to surprise their opponents? It is difficult to confirm, because after losing to U22 Thailand, U22 Malaysia will never accept playing defensively to hope for a draw, or play defensively - counterattacking as a way to deceive their opponents? Therefore, like the match between U22 Malaysia and U22 Thailand, a coach needs to read the game well, deploying his forces at the right time to turn the situation around. With his experience fighting all over the world, will Mr. Troussier be able to prove this in the near future?

Meeting the Malaysians has never been an easy task for us to predict or do, but the final good result belongs to the Sao Vang army. U22 Vietnam is showing many worries after the first 2 matches, but who knows if that is "fake information" for the opponent? Mr. Troussier's way of doing and operating is clearly different from many foreign coaches before, although all have the same goal of winning and the result of winning. The match against U22 Malaysia in the opponent's "dead end" situation can make U22 Vietnam more difficult, but if they know how to play and know how to promote their abilities, everything will be smooth and easy.

Let's wait and see what moves Mr. Troussier and his team will use to "enter the tiger's den" in the next match?