How to beat U23 North Korea?
(Baonghean.vn) - The current task of coach Park Hang-seo and his team is to win against U23 North Korea without worrying about the result of the match between U23 UAE and U23 Jordan. When there is no right to decide, this is the best option that the Korean coach needs to do.
Commenting on U23 Vietnam at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship, Live Sport Asia admitted that not conceding a goal was a pretty good achievement for U23 Vietnam. However, the Asian newspaper did not forget to remind: "To advance to the quarterfinals, the defense is probably not enough. They must know how to score against their opponents."
The squad is weaker than 2 years ago.
"Unlike 2018, U23 Vietnam played without any progress. In the first round, they couldn't even attack while the defense made many mistakes. The results on the field also reflected their strength. In fact, this year's squad is much weaker than 2 years ago," said writer Aljbakri of Live Sport Asia.
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| North Korea U23 also plays with a 3-4-3 formation like Vietnam U23. Photo: AFC |
To win against North Korea U23, the first thing is to forget the mindset that coach Ri Yu-il's players will give up because they have no more goals after 2 losses. Coach Ri Yu-il of North Korea U23 declared that his teamwant to win against the reigning tournament runner-up before exiting the tournament.
Jordan U23 coach Ahmed Abu Ismail commented: "North Korea U23 played with discipline and good physical strength, while Vietnam U23 players played very technically." This is a match that allows North Korea U23 to play cautiously and wait for opportunities because Vietnam U23 only needs goals, even 2 goals.
Professional corner
Unlike U23 UAE and U23 Jordan who only press from the midfield, coach Ri Yu-il's students often press to put pressure right from the away field. U23 North Korea also uses the 3-4-3 tactical formation just like U23 Vietnam. Taking advantage of their physical strength, the North Korean players play very tough. In the match against U23 UAE, they committed 20 fouls and received 2 yellow cards.
When they needed a goal, they switched to a 3-5-2 formation with two attackers H.Kim (23) and Ryang (15). These are players who tend to like to hold the ball and break into the 16.5m area. In both matches against U23 UAE and Jordan, the North Korean players kept attacking until the referee blew the whistle to end the match. The equalizer 1-2 in the match against U23 UAE was scored in the 90+1 minute.
Mr. Park rotated the central midfielder pair Hoang Duc, Duc Chien then Quang Hai, Hoang Duc in the match against U23 UAE, then Thanh Son, Duc Chien and Duc Chien, Hoang Duc in the match against U23 Jordan. But clearly the midfielders were not confident in holding the ball to organize coordination, using quite a lot of horizontal passes and back passes. That explains why the front line often lacked the ball, the attacking pressure was not enough to cause difficulties for the opponent.
Save yourself
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| Will Mr. Park have to face the thought of changing personnel or changing tactics? Photo: AFC |
With the West Asian players being very strong, we are often at a disadvantage in one-on-one contests. The physical strength of North Korea U23 is not inferior, so the players in the back line need to drop the ball more often behind the opponent's defenders for Tien Linh and Duc Chinh to use their speed to contest the ball.
Currently, U23 Vietnam does not have a wing-back player who can play both offensive and defensive roles like Trong Hoang and Van Hau in a 3-defender formation. Tan Tai and Thanh Tinh are playing as pure wing-backs in a 4-defender formation, so they do not put pressure on the opponent. Will Mr. Park have to consider changing personnel or changing tactics?