Park Hang-seo admits pressure to win gold medal at SEA Games 2019

- You once publicly announced your intention to only lead one team in 2019. But now, you also accept the U22 team to participate in the 2019 SEA Games. How exactly does that work?

- In 2018, the Vietnamese teams went through many tournaments and it was very difficult. I think, if we focus on one team, we will have better results, especially if we look at the player analysis process. In 2019, there are two important tournaments and the match schedule is close together. If we have a choice, I think the results can be better.

During the internal unification process, we decided that I would lead the national team to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Lee Young-jin would coach the U22 team to the SEA Games. However, there were still personnel changes, because Lee had just helped me with the national team, and had to participate in the SEA Games right away. I met with the leaders and coaches of the clubs, and clearly saw the value of the SEA Games to Vietnamese fans. The officials also emphasized the goal of winning the SEA Games gold medal. They also asked me to lead the U22 team to this tournament. The government is very eager. So are the Vietnamese people, because this has been a desire for the past 50 years. Therefore, I suggested that they should create conditions for me, if I had 5 weeks of preparation, I would try to win a medal. I suggested that and the officials agreed. Everyone agreed because since the U23 tournament in Changzhou, we also had 5 weeks of preparation. Everyone agreed that this was enough time. Therefore, I will be the coach of both the national team and the U22 team.

- You mentioned the gold medal target a lot. Do you feel pressured?

- I can confirm that I have. Up to now, I have been through 4 major tournaments. None of them were easy. All of them were stressful. But I always keep in mind that I will try my best to achieve the set goals. I am not the type of person who will withdraw when there is pressure.

- Do you have the best team yet? How is Dinh Trong's injury now?

- The team has gathered 37 players since March 6. On March 8, 5 more Hanoi players returned from the AFC Cup. On March 16, we will have a friendly match with Taiwan. After that match, we will have a preliminary squad, reduced to 25 or 27 people. On March 20, we will finalize the final list. Currently, there are three injured players and have had to be sent home. There are some other players who are still injured.

Dinh Trong had surgery in Korea. After returning home, he was scanned and the results were good. The treatment did not leave any after-effects. The doctors also gave a positive assessment. Dinh Trong was also comfortable and active on the training ground. Dinh Trong may not play right away, but he still practices fully. We will also have a backup plan in case he does not play.

- How do you compare this year's U23 team with the U23 team in Changzhou?

- Both teams are great. In terms of physique, this generation is even better. In terms of technique, both teams have their own advantages and disadvantages. They are both the future generation of Vietnamese football. We analyzed the body index, and concluded that the players who participated in the U23 in Changzhou, the indexes are similar. For example, the body fat percentage is quite low, and the upper body strength is still weak.

- What do you think about the possibility of receiving more overseas Vietnamese players?

- Personally, I welcome those players to return to Vietnam and wear the national team jersey. To do this, many issues are needed. One is the procedure. Two is to discuss with the Vietnam Football Federation. After that, we will evaluate the player's ability, character, and communication with the national team.

- Your contract will expire in January 2020. Fans really want to keep you with an early and long contract. What can you share?

- In the contract, there is a clause: three months before the expiration date, the two sides will sit down. However, from now until then, we have many tournaments, and we need to focus on that. When it is necessary to discuss the contract, VFF and I will sit down separately.

- You have been given quite a few assistants. What is the difference between this group and the previous group?

- There are still more Vietnamese assistants. The reason we need more assistants is because we will be divided into two teams. We have Dinh Hong Vinh, but Lu Dinh Tuan is absent. We do not have much information about the current players. Regarding fitness assistants, we used to have Brazilian coach Willander Fonseca, but he is currently busy studying for an Asian coaching certificate. Because of the urgent time, I had to use my personal connections to invite a Korean coach. That is Lee Tae-hoon. We need him because he has experience in Southeast Asia, attending the SEA Games three times as head coach. He is only supporting this time, not signing with VFF, but is only a supporter from HAGL. If we increase the number of Korean assistants, it will only be Lee Tae-hoon.

- Have you received any offers recently? How did you handle them?

- I beg your permission not to answer this question. I really love Vietnam. I will try my best to keep in touch with VFF.

- Coach Le Huynh Duc commented about Ha Duc Chinh that there was no reason to call him up to the national team. What kind of mentality did he have for Duc Chinh?

- I respect Huynh Duc's opinion. I think if Duc Chinh is in good form, the club should be responsible for helping him regain his form. There is a problem in the V-League today. Last year, they only allowed two foreign players, but this year they increased it to three. We know that in the V-League, 70% to 80% of strikers are foreigners. If we continue like that, it will be difficult to produce good strikers for Vietnam. I watched the match between Da Nang and Viettel, and saw that Da Nang's two foreign strikers had no chance. The reason for Duc Chinh's poor form may come from him. We should think about how using foreign strikers will affect our football. I do not mean to look down on foreign players, especially strikers, they play in the air and have good physique. Most V-League clubs use this way of playing. As for Vietnamese defenders, we lack physical strength and physique. Sometimes I wonder whether the way of playing high balls is suitable for the development path of Vietnamese football or not. We know that adding a foreign player to the club will cause difficulties for domestic players. I would like to ask again, if Da Nang uses two foreign players, what will Duc Chinh do to compete?

With European national championships, they have no restrictions on buying and selling players. For example, in Brazil and Spain, there are many foreign players but many local players also go abroad. Supply and demand in these countries are almost balanced. But in Vietnam, supply and demand are not balanced.

- Do any players feel overwhelmed by the new fitness program? Compared to the old fitness assistant, what are the similarities and differences?

- There is no problem. Even though the assistant is new, all training plans are approved by me. I will check to see if they are suitable for the physical condition of Vietnamese players and the match schedule. We always discuss with each other. Assistant Park is young, has little experience, but has many new specialties compared to Bae. Park studied in Germany and England. Mr. Bae has a lot of experience, but is limited in updating new knowledge. At the U23 Asian tournament in China last year, there was a day when we practiced 3 sessions. But Mr. Bae did not decide everything, but went through me.

- What do you think about the fact that Vietnam only has 3 players going abroad?

- If Vietnamese players are allowed to play in higher-level championships, it will be good for the future of Vietnamese football. I cannot directly help players play abroad. That is up to the clubs to do. A few days ago, Cong Phuong was able to play in the K-League. I sent a congratulatory message. I also urged my assistants to always have updated information about Cong Phuong. In the future, I am sure Cong Phuong will have more time on the field. I am sure Cong Phuong will adapt to Korean football. I told him at the new club's introduction ceremony: "Each team will have a different coach. The coach's requirements for the players will be different. Now that he is back in Incheon, when the new coach asks for tactics, no matter the circumstances, he needs to have the right attitude to follow the coach's requirements." If Phuong can do it, I am sure he will be successful in the K-League.

- Does the coach know about the rivalry with Thailand? How have you prepared mentally for the upcoming U23 qualifiers, specifically the match against Thailand?

- Under my tenure, the national team has not faced Thailand, but the U23 team met them in the M150 tournament at the end of 2017. I am also thinking and hoping that one day the Vietnamese team will meet Thailand. We know that the 2020 U23 Asian Cup finals will be hosted by Thailand. Although they are not interested in the results in the qualifying round, they are training and preparing very hard. With the upcoming qualifying round, we are a bit short of time. On March 26, we will meet Thailand. That day, we will play the same style as usual, regardless of who our opponent is. We are not afraid.

- What points does Vietnam need to improve to prepare for the U23 qualifiers?

- Some key players are injured and need to recover as soon as possible. Secondly, we are a bit short of time to maximize tactical adaptation with new players. Obviously, many players this time are very new. They need time to get used to the team's tactical scheme. In the past, Vietnam encountered many difficulties but they all overcame them. I affirm that we will move forward with the Vietnamese spirit to enter the upcoming battle.

- Recently, some Vietnamese politicians, such as Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The, when directing work, said that we must work with the spirit of Park Hang-seo. What do you think?

- That is not the Park spirit. That is the Vietnamese spirit. Let me explain it clearly like this: Last year we played in China. I remember meeting some leaders, they always asked two questions: One is why did the team change so completely within three months and two is maybe the Vietnamese spirit is just now exploding. I thought a lot about this, about what is the Vietnamese spirit? That day, we faced Jordan. I talked with the players. I said, the leaders always talk about the Vietnamese spirit, so what is the Vietnamese spirit? They talked a lot, but I summarized the four main ideas: one is Solidarity, two is Self-respect, three is Intelligence, agility, four is indomitable, never give up. I always emphasize these four factors to every player I have worked with.