Identifying the Japanese national team

While coach Hajime Morijasu's team, led by coach Hajime Morijasu, achieved resounding victories in the 8 matches of the second round, earning the admiration of all of Asia, in the third round, after 4 matches played, the Japanese national team is causing disappointment, currently sitting 4th in Group B with 6 points.

In the second round, they played 8 matches, winning all of them, scoring 46 goals and conceding only 2, including crushing victories against Myanmar (10-0) and Mongolia (14-0, 6-0). However, they seemed to have exerted themselves too early and revealed their tactics, leading to significant difficulties in their third-place finish in the 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers, where they were defeated 1-0 at home by visiting team Oman.

The European "study abroad" army

Returning to the story of the squad traveling to Hanoi to prepare for the match against the Vietnamese national team, among the 27 players called up, 17 are stars currently playing in Europe. This is 4 fewer players playing abroad compared to the previous training camp. Some reports suggest that Takefusa Kubo and Kubo are not particularly important players for coach Hajime Morijasu. In the 12 qualifying matches for the Japanese national team, the 20-year-old South Korean prodigy, currently playing for Mallorca (Spain), only started one game, came on as a substitute in three, and has yet to score a goal.

Meanwhile, winger Ritsu Doan, wearing the number 11 jersey, has started 3 matches and come on as a substitute in 2, but his injury has fully recovered and he will be present in Vietnam. In fact, so far in the qualifiers, he has only contributed 1 of the 49 goals scored by the Japanese national team.

The "Blue Samurai" mostly play football in Europe. Photo: JF

Furthermore, stars like Takumi Minamino, Yuto Nagatomo, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are what Que Ngoc Hai and the Vietnamese defense need to pay attention to. Coach Hajime Morijasu favors the 4-2-3-1 formation, which is very popular in Japan, with number 15 Y. Osaka playing as the furthest forward. The 31-year-old striker, currently playing in Germany, has started 7 matches and scored 9 goals. Y. Osaka is 1.82m tall, right-footed, and plays quite simply, similar to striker Anh Duc of the Vietnamese national team.

After three matches (one win and two losses), coach Hajime Morijasu surprisingly switched to a 4-3-3 formation against Australia at home, which is believed to provide more space for the second line to push forward. With the result of a 2-1 victory for the Japanese team, it is highly likely they will continue to play with this formation at My Dinh Stadium.

Speed ​​weapons

The Japanese national team favors the 4-2-3-1 formation. Photo: JF

According to Japanese media analysis, the Vietnamese national team is in rather poor form, having lost five consecutive matches. Coach Park Hang-seo lacks satisfactory options in both the goalkeeper and defense positions; the most notable player for the home team is Hoang Duc, not Quang Hai. Having won all three previous encounters, scoring six goals and conceding only one, they have a strong chance of securing three points. Compared to their last meeting in the 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals, where Vietnam lost 0-1 to Japan, Coach Park's current squad is considered weaker.

Right-back Tomiyasu has spent many years playing in Europe. Photo: JF

In reality, Japan's two recent defeats weren't due to them losing control of the game, but rather because their opponents retreated deep into defense, then suddenly launched an attack. Allowing Japan to charge forward and be caught off guard by counter-attacks is like having a spring compressed; the goal of this top team in Asia will be at risk. This is a match where the speed of Van Toan, Van Thanh, and Quang Hai must be exploited to the fullest in counter-attacks.