Asiad 2018 Quarterfinals: How did the Syrian U23 coach "guess" Vietnam U23?
Captain Alfakeer Muhannad of U23 Syria has sharp comments about U23 Vietnam before the decisive quarter-final match of Asiad 2018, paying special attention to 3 outstanding players in the hands of coach Park Hang Seo...
Evaluating U23 Vietnam, Coach Alfakeer Muhannad said: “I know your team very well, and recently in the 4 matches at the 18th Asiad.
U23 Vietnam is a strong team, with many good players. U23 Vietnam’s style of play relies on fast players, strong ball-winning in the midfield, as well as having technical players. This is a difficult match for both U23 Vietnam and Syria…”
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| Coach Alfakeer Muhannad believes his players can... |
Besides the assessment of the match, the head coach of U23 Syria shared the difficulties in the team's preparation for the Asiad, and mostly due to the changing situations in the Syrian football federation 2 months ago.
He said:“We didn’t have the best preparation, but we prepared ourselves with the group stage matches as well as the match against Palestine in the round of 16. The team is better, and we are ready for the match against Vietnam.”
Mr. Alfakeer Muhannad added that the match between U23 Syria and U23 Vietnam at the 2018 Asian Games was completely different from the time the two teams met in the group stage of the U23 Asia Championship (0-0 draw): “Two different teams, the previous team was better prepared, but now I only have players born in 1997 and 1998. I am trying to create individual cohesion, lines and play with more strength and speed in attack…”
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| ...will defeat U23 Vietnam in the upcoming match. |
“We have to keep a balance between attack and defense, it will be very risky to play offensively against U23 Vietnam. We understand that this is not an easy match so we need to focus in every situation."Mr. Alfakeer Muhannad added.
When asked which player made the most impression on the U23 Vietnam side, the captain of U23 Syria said: “I cannot answer their identities, although I know that in U23 Vietnam there are 3 really classy players. And of course, we have to pay attention to them in the upcoming match.”.
Regarding the question of whether U23 Syria's goal is to reach the final or not, Mr. Alfakeer Muhannad affirmed:
"Nothing is impossible but to do it is not easy at all. Wewill fight with all my might and be confident in my abilities".