Expensive test dose

(Baonghean.vn) - This is the heaviest defeat since coach Huu Thang took over the national teams. But losing 0-5 to U20 Argentina, in the process of preparing for the 2017 SEA Games, is necessary. The test dose of 16 billion VND is extremely necessary for Cong Phuong and his teammates at U22 Vietnam.

» Argentina coach: U22 Vietnam does not know how to combine attack and defense

It cost VFF 16 billion VND to invite U20 Argentina to Vietnam for a friendly match. In return, we had 2 defeats of 1-4 and 0-5 of U20 and U22 Vietnam with different goals. Although after the press conference, Huu Thang still "defended" that U20 Argentina won big thanks to their superior physical strength and physique and played very well on the field. Then there was the fact that his students had just stopped playing in the V-League, and had a short concentration period so they did not play as expected.

Lessons in approaching the match

This is the heaviest defeat since coach Huu Thang took charge of the national teams. Photo: Internet.

The biggest lesson for both the U22 Vietnam coach and players is the attitude towards the match. The HAGL academy is producing players with good individual skills, but that is not enough for us to play against the top teams. The proof is that despite their very eloquent declaration, captain Cong Phuong, Huu Thang's greatest hope, just "drove around" throughout the match.

Defenders Juan Marcos, Valenzuela, Senesi Marcos, had no difficulty locking down Cong Phuong and Thanh Binh because of their stature and superior tactical thinking. The central midfielders Dong Trieu and Tuan Anh disappeared in the 4-4-1-1 formation of U22 Vietnam. Their attacks were scattered, their defense support was weak, making goalkeeper Minh Long always falter.

Van Kien, Van Khanh, Duy Manh, Van Thanh are defenders who have fought in the V-League, but when pressed, they continuously passed the ball incorrectly, and goalkeeper Phi Minh Long lost his way many times. The opponent is a classy team, we could have lost, but U22 Vietnam lost without playing football, during the entire 90 minutes of confusion and deadlock, the lackluster performance is something that needs to be reviewed.

The guest is too strong.

The U22 Vietnam squad has not yet brought confidence to fans. Photo: Internet.

Coach Huu Thang was too confident when maintaining the small wall passing style to confront U20 Argentina, which is a master of this style of play. In the match, seeing the U20 Argentina players demonstrate a short passing style, combining long passes, wide passes, and central attacks made the U22 Vietnam players dizzy. With an attacking 4-3-3 formation, the Argentina players controlled the midfield area, not allowing the home team to have the ball at their feet. Even in fixed free kick situations, the U20 Argentina players demonstrated international-class handling.

People talk a lot about the absence of Van Toan and Xuan Truong, but looking at the 6 changes made by coach Huu Thang, we can see that the mistake started from tactics, not people. Looking at the young U20 Argentina players Palacios Exequiel, Colombatto Santiago, Marcelo Torres, Javier Martinez playing, Vietnamese fans are sure that in just 1-2 more seasons they will be in Europe. In the stands, coach Claudio Ubeda also showed a very professional coaching style, originating from a big football background. Despite winning 2 friendly matches, he spoke encouragingly to his opponents about the prospects of both teams.

On the field, when leading U22 with a score of 4-0, Claudio Ubeda still asked the players to play fair even though he knew it could lead to injury. In fact, striker Martinez had to be hospitalized after a fight with goalkeeper Phi Minh Long, but Claudio Ubeda was choosing the landing spot for the player before going to Korea.

After the disappointing 0-5 loss to U20 Argentina, coach Nguyen Huu Thang shared: "U22 Vietnam needs to look back at itself for future goals", the immediate target is the upcoming 29th SEA Games medal target. If Huu Thang and his students are fully aware of this, the 16 billion VND test is not expensive, better late than never!

N@T