The core of the Malaysian team to face Vietnam
(Baonghean.vn) - More than half of Malaysia's starting lineup are playing for Johor Darul Ta'zim. Coach Tan Cheng-Hoe did not hide his intention to choose players from the team that won the Super League six times in a row from 2014 to 2019 and naturalized players to compete with Coach Park.
The core is the army of Johor Darul Ta'zim
In the training camp to prepare for the match against UAE and Vietnam, Johor Darul Ta'zim had 12 players. However, in the match against UAE, Brendan Gan, Syafiq Ahmad and Matthew Davies were suspended due to receiving 2 yellow cards. They could only return in the match against Van Duc and his teammates 5 days later.
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| The Johor Darul Ta'zim squad will form the backbone of the Malaysian team. Photo Johor Darul Ta'zim. |
To prepare for the next matches of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, the Malaysian Football Federation has arranged for the national team to play a friendly match with Bahrain on March 22. Because conductor Brendan Gan is banned from playing, coach Tan Cheng-Hoe will choose Liridon Krasniqi, a midfielder of Kosovo origin who has just been naturalized, to be in charge of organizing the game.
New test
Central midfielder Liridon is also a member of Johor Darul Ta'zim FC in the Malaysia Super League. In the 2018/19 season, he played half a season for Melaka United SA, appearing in 5 matches and scoring 1 goal. The last match that this 28-year-old midfielder played was on 3/03/2019 when Melaka United played Kuala Lumpur. So physical strength is an issue for Liridon when playing a box-to-box style that requires endurance for 90 minutes.
If Liridon can show his ability in the friendly match against Bahrain and in the match against UAE, Tan Cheng-Hoe will have more personnel options in midfield. Liridon's playing style is considered softer than Brendan Gan. If he is put on the field, Liridon will have to regularly confront Van Hau on the left wing.
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| “I chose three-quarters of the squad from Johor Darul Ta'zim, they will build a cohesive and scientific style of play for the Malaysian team, through playing together week after week,” coach Tan Cheng-Hoe shared. Photo: CNN |
In the hands of coach Tan Cheng-Hoe, there are not many players who can make a difference like Quang Hai and Van Duc of the Vietnamese team. Therefore, coach Tan advocates building a collective style of play, not too dependent on any star. Obviously, the selection of many players in the squad of Johor Darul Ta'zim, the host Malaysia, is expected to have good coordination from the Malaysian champion.
Even Mr. Tan Cheng-Hoe will likely apply the 4-4-2 tactical formation like the Johor Darul Ta'zim team playing in the Super League. This is the style of play that Mr. Tan Cheng-Hoe's students can develop their wing play due to the naturalized players and dual nationalities of Malaysia.
Although Malaysia has changed a lot, Vietnamese fans still believe in the victory of Mr. Park, who always has a good chance when facing teams in the Southeast Asian region. Especially when Van Duc and Xuan Manh have returned, the Vietnamese team's attack on the border will have more breakthroughs.
