Leaving U23 Vietnam, SLNA player 'reveals' coach Park Hang Seo's defensive tactics

(Baonghean.vn) - Regretfully leaving the U23 Asian Cup at the last minute, central defender Hoang Van Khanh (SLNA) highly appreciated the tactical intentions of coach Park Hang Seo.

Before leaving for China, Coach Park Hang Seo also expressed his views on applying it to Vietnamese football: "In the case of Vietnam, if we play with a 4-4-2 formation, there are 2 central defenders in the middle. If we play with 3 defenders, we have 3 central defenders. Actually, these 3 central defenders are not fixed, we just need to put a defensive midfielder in the back line to make it 4. Actually, this is just a game of numbers, depending on the situation to have changes."

That is the explanation of coach Park Hang Seo, and with central defender Hoang Van Khanh, who just said goodbye to the U23 Vietnam team, shared: "Coach Park arranged for U23 Vietnam to play with 3 defenders, but in fact it is 5 defenders, not like everyone thinks. When necessary, the two wing midfielders will retreat like 2 wing defenders and at that time 3-4-3 will transform into many different formations. I hope and believe that U23 Vietnam will do well at the U23 Asian Cup."

With his own point of view, Mr. Park came to the conclusion: "We also know that each formation has its own advantages and disadvantages, it is impossible to say which formation is superior. With the resources and current situation of Vietnamese players, I find the 3-4-3 formation more suitable than any other model. Of course, I do not apply it rigidly, we can change it accordingly. Of course, some experts think that 3-4-3 should not be used, is not good, and there may be some wrong points on my part. But in my personal opinion, at the present time, with the qualities and characteristics of the players I have, it is suitable and I need to experiment."

Center back Hoang Van Khanh says goodbye to U23 Vietnam before the Asian finals. Photo: Internet

Talking about having to say goodbye to the Vietnam U23 team at the last minute, Van Khanh confided: "Unfortunately, I was injured during the preparation for the tournament and when I returned, I did not achieve my best form. Especially in the match against Ulsan Hyundai Club. Partly because I myself had not tried my best, so Coach Park chose the best and most energetic players."

Hoang Van Khanh is a prominent player in V.League 2017 when he was included in the best team of the season. As for U23 Vietnam, coach Park Hang Seo and his team officially left for China to prepare for the 2018 AFC U23 Championship yesterday morning (January 1).

The Vietnam U23 team will have a friendly match with Palestine U23 on January 4. After that, the Korean coach will shorten the official list from 25 to 23 players before competing in the U23 Asia group stage matches. The opening match of the Vietnam U23 team against Korea U23 will take place on January 11. After that, the team will face Australia U23 and Syria U23 on January 14 and 17 respectively.

Trung Kien