Huu Thang and Alfred Riedl: Who has the better touch?

(Baonghean.vn) - The 2-1 victory against Cambodia in the final group stage match of the 2016 AFF Cup propelled the Vietnamese national team to the top of Group B. This marks the first time the Vietnamese team has won all three group stage matches of the AFF Cup. The question now is, can Coach Huu Thang defeat his former coach Alfred Riedl in the semi-final??

Coach Huu Thang's team secured a perfect 9 points from 3 consecutive wins in the group stage, the best performance by the Vietnamese national team in the group stage of the AFF Cup history (including the previous Tiger Cup). In 10 previous appearances, the Vietnamese team advanced to the next round 4 times as group winners in 2000, 2002, 2010, and 2014, but they were unable to achieve the maximum points as in this tournament. Meanwhile, Austrian coach Alfred Riedl showed his tactical prowess, leading the Indonesian team to a comeback victory, narrowly securing second place in Group B.

Physical fitness is a strong point of the Indonesian team.

On their coaching bench is Austrian coach Alfred Riedl, who has had a long stint working in Vietnam since 1998. He has coached several clubs, including Khatoco Khanh Hoa and Hai Phong. Most notably, he coached the Vietnamese national team in three periods: 1998-2000, 2003-2004, and 2005-2007, so it can be said that Alfred Riedl has a good understanding of our players' style of play. Furthermore, Alfred Riedl has also coached the Indonesian national team three times, the previous two times in 2010 and 2013, so it can be said that he also has a deep understanding of Indonesian football.

Clearly, if the team wants the gold medal, they must forget about their group stage victories and focus on overcoming Indonesia and possibly Thailand. Firstly, the Indonesian team has a rather difficult record against Vietnam; in the past 17 years, the only time we've beaten them was at My Dinh Stadium in a friendly match. The Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) is planning to hold the match at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, rather than the "cauldron" Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Playing at this stadium would create significant difficulties for the Vietnamese team, as they would have to travel a considerable distance after arriving in Jakarta.

While the absence of Tuan Anh in the attack only brings regret, the absence of Dinh Luat due to a red card has caused great concern among Vietnamese fans. Despite calling up 10 players for the defense, Coach Huu Thang still hasn't found the necessary lineup he's satisfied with. Only left-back Van Thanh has temporarily pleased the coaching staff; Que Ngoc Hai hasn't played to his full potential, and Van Hoan is merely a replacement for Dinh Dong after the first match.

Austrian coach Alfred Riedl has a deep understanding of Vietnamese football.

Who will play center back alongside Ngoc Hai? Among the four center backs that the Vietnamese national team brought to the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016, Dinh Tien Thanh and Bui Tien Dung were discoveries of coach Toshiya Miura. However, Tien Thanh and Ngoc Hai only played together in center back in the 2-1 victory of the Vietnamese national team against Hong Kong (China) in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Meanwhile, Ngoc Hai and Tien Dung had already played together in center back for the Vietnam U23 team at the 2015 SEA Games, and Tien Dung was given a chance to play in the match against Cambodia.

Not to mention, Dinh Dong - another full-back from Nghe An province - was once deployed as a center-back by Huu Thang himself while playing for SLNA. With a defensive system where only Hoang Thinh is responsible for the midfield, this center-back position requires not only agility but also good physical fitness. We've seen how aggressively Zamrun, Bachdim, Dimas, and Solossa played when facing Vietnamese players.

If we're in a difficult situation, so is the opponent, as Indonesian defenders Rudolof Yanto Basna and Fachruddin Wahyudi Aryanto are also suspended due to accumulating two yellow cards. The question is whether Coach Huu Thang or Alfred Riedl will have the more tactical advantage.

An Thanh