Thailand coach: "Striker Nguyen Xuan Son is the most dangerous player in the Vietnam team"
Coach Masatada Ishii admitted that Nguyen Xuan Son is the most formidable player in the Vietnamese team in the two finals of the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
At noon on January 1, 2025, the press conference before the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 final took place. Speaking at the press conference before the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 final, coach Masatada Ishii of the Thai team said: “First of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy new year. In the next match, we will meet a very strong opponent, the Vietnamese team. In the semi-finals, Thailand lost one match to the Philippines, so in the next two matches, we will win to meet expectations.”
In September 2024, Thailand with the second team still won the Vietnam team at My Dinh in a friendly tournament. However, coach Masatada Ishii affirmed that everything has changed.
“I don’t compare the Vietnam team in September and now. They have made a lot of progress and changes in their lineup. The most important player of the Vietnam team could be Nguyen Xuan Son,” said the captain of the Thai team.
Talking about the injury situation of the Thai team, coach Masatada Ishii admitted that the Thai team is facing many problems related to its force.
“Not only Suphanat has a fever, we also have many other injured players and players with poor health. I will coordinate with the coaching staff to bring the best physical condition to the players,” said coach Masatada Ishii.
“After the two semi-final matches, we have to travel to Vietnam to play the first leg of the final and then return home to play the second leg. I hope the Thai team can get the best possible result, and that is victory. I will not reveal how we will deal with Xuan Son because this is a team secret.
However, the Vietnamese team also has many other important players such as Hoang Duc, Quang Hai, Ngoc Tan... These players have good coordination and are all key players of the Vietnamese team," coach Masatada Ishii assessed.
“I have only worked in Thailand for 1 year so I do not fully understand the meaning of the super classic match of regional football. However, I expect the atmosphere on the field tomorrow. I believe that the two teams will play a dedicated match,” the Japanese coach concluded./.