Thailand and Vietnam are the strongest in the region, but...!

Statement after the first leg of the finalAFF Cup 2020(Indonesia National Team - Thailand National Team: 0-4), Coach Shin Tae-yong when asked "which team is the strongest in the region" replied "It's hard to say which team is the strongest after just one match, but I can confirm that Thailand and Vietnam are the two strongest teams in the region based on what they have shown in this tournament, especially Thailand...".

Remember, this is a statement from a person who was the head coach of the Korean national team, the team that defeated the German national team at the 2018 World Cup (2-0) and is currently starting over with Indonesian football, which has clearly improved through this AFF Cup, and will be a formidable force at the upcoming SEA Games held in Vietnam (May 2022). Comparing all aspects between the two teams Vietnam and Thailand is a long and endless story, but what was shown at the AFF Cup 2021 will also show a clear view of the way of working, the way of playing, and the formidable strength of the Thai people in the region for a long time.

First of all, the Thai national team has just gone through a period of "unsatisfactory results" with a series of foreign coaches, after a period of success with coach Kiatisuk. Until coach A. Polking signed a short-term 6-month contract with the task of taking back the regional throne from the Vietnamese national team, the Thai players gathered at home and abroad for only 7 days to gather (even if they wanted to, they could not because foreign clubs are competing, they must comply with FIFA regulations, also known as "FIFA day - the day the club must release players to the national teams if requested). Yet they still compete normally, united when assigned tasks. Remember, the Vietnamese national team has gathered and competed continuously for 7 months now, but is it clear as day whether they can achieve the same results as the Thais?

Second, regarding the force, any team has the right to gather more or less 30 players, before the competition, they can register a list of 23 players, which means that all have the same number of players to bring to the tournament, except for the Malaysian team who did the opposite by not bringing enough 30 people and the consequences were obvious). However, in the match to decide the first and second place in the group with host Singapore, the Thai team launched a completely new lineup compared to the previous 2 matches, leaving most of the pillars to save energy for the semi-final match. Next, in the first leg of the final, in addition to 2 players forced to rest due to injury and penalty cards, the Thai team put on the field a completely new striker to pair with T. Dangda, B. Phala (scored the 4th goal), center-back E. Dolar replaced M. Bihr, T. Do replaced B. Theerathon, P. Roller replaced W. Narubadin...

Vietnam team meets Thailand.

To recall that, in the group stage, the Vietnam team with all its talents was sweating but could not score a single goal against the young Indonesian team. Meanwhile, despite changing many official positions, even some players playing for the first time, the Thai team only needed a few dozen seconds of the ball rolling to make the Indonesian defense waver, lose direction and then immediately scored against this team in the 2nd minute! And then there were 3 goals, including a double by Chanathip, enough to say that, what Mr. Shin Tae-yong said "especially Thailand" must have proven who was the strongest in this tournament, especially the Thai force is strong, the quality is not inferior to each other whether playing as a starter or a reserve!

Meanwhile, at this AFF Cup, although the Vietnam team replaced most of its best players when necessary, they failed to score any goals in all 3 matches against Indonesia (group stage) and Thailand (2 semi-final matches). This is enough to show how "dull" our force is and how clearly it is identified by the opponent.

From the story of football, I remember the story of Sepak Takraw, also about the force. When Sepak Takraw was born in Thailand in the 15th century, there were often more than 10 training centers in the country with thousands of professional athletes and could select 3 teams for a competition, while Vietnam only had a few training centers considered to be good in Hanoi or Nghe An.

Therefore, the fact that Vietnamese sepak takraw overtook the Thais only happened with the achievements of the trio Luu Thi Thanh, Nguyen Hai Thao, Nguyen Thu Thuy... at the 2003 SEA Games and the 15/2006 ASIAD. Just like football, the Vietnamese national team twice defeated the Thais in the 2008 and 2018 AFF Cups, then returned to the reality that we must strive, must try to surpass the Thais before talking about bigger things.

To see, whether we want it or not, Vietnamese football must change comprehensively and fundamentally in a professional and modern direction like the Thais have been doing, both in terms of strategy and tactics in each stage and each specific tournament. Deep in movement, solid in foundation, professional, reaching the top, making the best use of domestic and foreign resources... only then can we hope to soon catch up with the region and step out into the world, something that the Thais have gone before us but have not necessarily succeeded in stepping out into the continent, such as in the 3rd qualifying round of the World Cup. Of course, not just learning from the Thais is enough, but also requires many creative ways of learning and doing, not overnight.,.

Bui Sy Hoa