New look of Vietnam Olympics against Palestine
After the miracle at the U23 Asian Cup about half a year ago, this is the first time many U23 Vietnam players have gathered together to play for the fans. This is also an opportunity for coach Park Hang Seo to show the team a new look, preparing for the 2018 Asian Games.
*The match between Vietnam Olympic and Palestine Olympic will take place at 7:30 p.m. on August 3 at My Dinh Stadium.
Right before the international four-team tournament in Hanoi took place, coach Park Hang Seo cautiously said that it would be difficult for his team to play well in this warm-up tournament, because the final goal must be the Asiad in just over ten days.
That statement also means that the Korean coach will experiment a lot with personnel, in order to find the most suitable lineup for the men's football event of the Asian Games.
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| Fans await the new look of the Vietnam Olympics. Photo: Gia Hung |
Currently, Mr. Park needs to choose 2 out of 3 available goalkeepers: Dang Van Lam, Bui Tien Dung and Nguyen Van Hoang, choose 3 out of 4 players over 23 years old: Nguyen Anh Duc, Nguyen Van Quyet, Do Hung Dung and goalkeeper Dang Van Lam. He also needs to eliminate about 1/3 of the 30 available players, to narrow down the list to go to Indonesia for the Asiad.
Therefore, the next 3 matches at the international quadrennial tournament could be 3 matches in which the Vietnam Olympic team can use different lineups and formations, because this is not the time for coach Park Hang Seo's team to reach stability.
It is also possible that the players who will play the most in the next 3 matches are not necessarily the players who will be named to Indonesia, because those who have not yet been assured by the head coach of the Vietnam Olympic team are the ones who need to be tested more.
That is the reason why goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung can appear in the starting lineup of Vietnam Olympic team against Palestine, young striker Tien Linh can play from the beginning in the center forward position.
In addition, coach Park Hang Seo can experiment with a 4-defender lineup, instead of playing with 3 central defenders like in the U23 Asian Cup half a year ago.
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| Palestine Olympics is certainly a formidable opponent. Photo: Gia Hung |
As for the opponent Palestine, this team is not weak compared to the representative of Vietnamese football, but they are not a strong team at the Asian level.
The physique of the players from the Middle East is not too tall, so the challenge in high ball situations is not too great for coach Park Hang Seo's defense.
The Vietnamese Olympic team may not play as well as most fans expected, because as mentioned, this is still just the testing phase of the team. However, even then, the Vietnamese Olympic team still has the ability to beat Palestine at home.