Many Asian players have Covid-19; Why does Coach Park not like to use Tuan Anh - Xuan Truong?

Many Asian players infected with Covid-19, 2022 World Cup qualifiers remain open

Recently, AFC and FIFA have reached an agreement to re-organize the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia from next October. However, the possibility of continuing this tournament is still uncertain due to the complicated Covid-19 epidemic situation across the continent.

In the latest developments, 18 players of the Bangladesh national team (equivalent to half of the squad) have been confirmed positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. All of these players have no symptoms. Previously, naturalized UAE player Caio Canedo was also confirmed to have Covid-19 when he joined the West Asian team for the first time.

According to the latest announcement, up to 18 Bangladesh national team players have contracted Covid-19. Photo: AFC

The "first wave" of Covid-19 has had a major impact on Asian football, with players and coaches from several teams passing away due to Covid-19.

Currently, the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia has finished 6 matches, the teams will go through 4 more matches before selecting the 12 teams with the best results to enter the third qualifying round.

Why Coach Park doesn't like to use the "pair" Tuan Anh - Xuan Truong

In the past 5 years, Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong have always been 2 of the best midfielders in Vietnamese football. The HAGL duo is highly appreciated for their creativity and intelligent passing ability.

Both are also often present in the Vietnam national team if they are not injured. However, coach Park Hang-seo almost never uses two HAGL players at the same time in the midfield of the Vietnam national team.

Why is that? Xuan Truong tends to play high up the pitch, providing little support for the defensive front. Tuan Anh plays lower down, recently playing the role of a sweeper and leaving a lot of impressions.

Tuan Anh - Xuan Truong in HAGL shirt.

However, the HAGL duo share a weakness, which is often losing the ball. According to statistics from Instat, in V-League 2020, Tuan Anh lost the ball more than 60% of the time, while Xuan Truong lost the ball about 58%.

For a coach who values ​​safety like Coach Park, the midfield must become a solid fortress protecting the home team's goal from afar. That's why he did not let Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong play together.

Normally, Mr. Park will let Hung Dung or Duc Huy play with Tuan Anh or Xuan Truong. The pair Tuan Anh - Hung Dung seems to be preferred.

Regarding the Vietnamese team, it is expected that the red team will gather in Hanoi from August 18 to 26. After a long absence due to injury, Xuan Truong will likely return at this gathering.

Two Atletico Madrid players test positive for nCoV

Early morning of August 10 (Hanoi time), Atletico Madrid's homepage posted information about the club's medical examination results. "On August 8, members of the first team underwent a medical examination as required by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) before leaving for Lisbon to participate in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The result was that there were 2 positive cases of Corona virus," the Wanda Metropolitano team said.

Atletico Madrid confirmed that two first-team players tested positive for the Corona virus. Photo: Getty Images.

Atletico Madrid have also confirmed they will follow all UEFA safety guidelines, meaning a new round of medical tests will be carried out, this time on the entire club. La Liga representatives have also confirmed that the team's training plans will be altered.

FIFA has not yet disbursed 1.5 million USD to VFF

FIFA has approved a $1.5 million aid package for each member federation, but the disbursement will not be made until at least September.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic devastating football activities, at the end of July, FIFA reached an agreement to support member federations with 1.5 million USD. This is a great joy for member federations, in the context of many tournaments being postponed, and funding for football being cut due to the Covid-19 pandemic destroying sponsors and causing business stagnation. Even the Football Association of Thailand, an organization that is considered to make a lot of money from football activities, now has to ask for financial support from FIFA, AFC and AFF to maintain its operations.

Vietnam team. Illustration photo.

As expected, early next September, FIFA will begin to disburse $500,000 to member federations, including VFF. It is known that the FIFA Interim Committee will have an independent audit department for the disbursement. After that, FIFA will disburse the second installment of $1 million in January 2021. It is known that of the $1.5 million in support that FIFA supports, $500,000 may be reserved for women's football.

Coach Park Hang-seo confirms Vietnam National Team's meeting date

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coach Park Hang-seo recently finalized the meeting date of the Vietnam National Team in August to prepare for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia taking place in October and November.

Coach Park Hang-seo.

Outstanding players in V.League 2020 such as Ho Tan Tai, Phan Van Long, Khac Ngoc or Hai Long will likely be given opportunities in this training session.

The gathering will be an opportunity for coach Park Hang-seo to evaluate the performance of the players, and at the same time consider the integration ability of the new players on the preliminary list.