Center back Que Ngoc Hai opens up before AFF Cup 2018

“I still need to try to improve more if I want to be on the upcoming list. Currently, the players in the defense are very good with young players like Duy Manh, Dinh Trong, Tien Dung and even those who have been called up to the national team like Thanh Hao,” Que Ngoc Hai shared before the afternoon training session on October 21.

“Compared to the AFF Cup 2016, this training session includes all the quality central defenders of Vietnamese football. Everyone tries to show themselves in training sessions to score points in the eyes of the coaching staff.”

Que Ngoc Hai at AFF Cup 2016. Photo: Internet

According to Que Ngoc Hai, this is not the time to think about who he will play with more in defense. The whole team must try their best to hope to have a place in the AFF Cup 2018, including him.

“It’s still too early to talk about which player I play best with in defense. Right now, I’m just trying my best to be in the 23 players participating in the AFF Suzuki Cup. During training sessions, the coaching staff constantly shuffles the players around to experiment. No player is certain to have a place yet,” Ngoc Hai said.

Having participated in two AFF Cups, Ngoc Hai is considered one of the veterans of the current Vietnam national team. The 25-year-old player said he feels very comfortable working with coach Park Hang Seo.

He said: “Mr. Park is a funny, sociable person who cares about his students. He taught me a lot about his profession. Those are useful lessons for me to learn from and become more mature.”

The two times Ngoc Hai and his teammates participated in the AFF Cup, they suffered regrettable defeats. Facing the opportunity to participate in the highest level of Southeast Asian football for the third time, Ngoc Hai has drawn lessons for himself.

“After losing in the decisive matches, I always review and draw my own lessons. I try to improve and perfect myself for the upcoming tournament,” Ngoc Hai concluded.

Among the central defenders that the national team is focusing on, Que Ngoc Hai is the player with the most international experience. The captain of SLNA, former captain of U23 Vietnam, has worn the Vietnam national team shirt from the time of coach Toshiya Miura to coach Huu Thang. However, in the national team, Ngoc Hai is more destined to play the right-back position than the central defender position. This position is a headache for coach Park to find a replacement for Xuan Manh and Van Thanh.

At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon Korean time (October 22), the Vietnamese team will have their first practice match in Korea with opponent Incheon United FC.

Coach Park Hang-seo: 'I am under pressure because of great expectations at the AFF Cup'

The Korean coach said that the AFF Cup is a very important tournament, and he will try his best to help the Vietnamese team achieve good results.