Mr. Phan Anh Tu: 'The last 15 minutes can decide the Vietnam - Syria match'

- What do you predict about the match between Vietnam and Syria?

- This will be a heated match. Vietnam and Syria are no strangers to each other, from the last time they faced each other in the U23 Asian Cup to their journey at the Asian Games. The teams that have reached this round all know each other's inside story. And not just Vietnam, all put safety first. I think Vietnam will enter the match calmly, maintain their formation, not rush into a confrontation and especially not get caught up in their opponent's playing style.

As for Syria, after the defeat in the U23 tournament, they have certainly learned their lessons. After the way Bahrain made things difficult for Vietnam in the round of 16, Syria will certainly use an aggressive style of play tonight. Therefore, Vietnam must be more careful, avoid collisions, avoid dribbling too much to save energy for the decisive punch at the end of the match. That is the right time to launch bold attacks to end the match.

Coach Park Hang-seo sent Cong Phuong (No. 9) into the second half of the match against Bahrain. The HAGL striker scored the decisive goal in the final minutes, helping Vietnam reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Games for the first time. Photo:German Dong.

- Do you mean that coach Park Hang-seo will create a breakthrough by making substitutions, like what he did with Cong Phuong in the match against Bahrain?

- That's right. I think Mr. Park will prioritize certainty in the early stages. The match against Bahrain showed that it is very difficult for Vietnam to deploy a pass-and-go, coordinated style of play in a narrow area when the opponent's physical strength is still abundant. Syria, as I observed, really likes to disrupt the play. They also understand Vietnam very well and putting highly creative players in the starting lineup is a waste. In do-or-die matches like this, in addition to ability, teams also need courage and patience.

- Vietnam's midfield was overwhelmed by Bahrain, especially in the first half. How can Mr. Park adjust when facing another West Asian team, Syria?

- Vietnam was at a disadvantage because the main players that day, Xuan Truong and Quang Hai, were not good at blocking. Against Syria, players with good physical strength and good fighting ability, such as Duc Huy, would be given priority.

It must also be said that in previous matches, Mr. Park did not deploy any defensive midfielders. That may have been his intention when using offense as defense. The offense played well, always putting pressure on the opponent, making the teams facing Vietnam wary of conceding the first goal. Therefore, the pressure on the defense will be much less.

But Syria is a team that is physically superior to us. They can play long balls, pass the ball down the flanks and then cross it in. If Vietnam does not defend well from a distance, we will most likely fall into a situation where we have not yet attacked but the defense has already broken.

Minh Vuong (middle) has not been used at the 2018 Asiad. Vietnam's opponents do not know anything about the midfielder playing for HAGL. Photo:Lam Thoa.

- In previous matches, Coach Park Hang-seo always created surprises for his opponents, either in personnel arrangement or substitutions. What surprise do you expect tonight?

- I think of Minh Vuong, who was not used at the 2018 Asian Games. He has the ability to coordinate, especially with his teammates at HAGL. Minh Vuong also shoots well from long range, and most importantly, he is in good physical condition. This is a mysterious card of Mr. Park when the teams do not know this player.

His playing style is also different from his familiar teammates. However, I don't think Coach Park Hang-seo will use him from the start, in a hot match like tonight.

- How do you rate the ability to take penalty kicks?

- That depends on the risk and luck of each team in the last 15 minutes of the second half. I believe Coach Park Hang-seo wants to decide the winner or loser in 90 minutes, but in football nothing can be predicted. We may calculate correctly and create opportunities, but if we are unlucky, we can't do anything. The problem is that the coaching staff must be ready for any unexpected situations that may arise.