Before the Saudi Arabia - Vietnam match: Coach Park's worries

In the list of 25 faces of the Vietnam National Team that just went to Saudi Arabia, the names of two important pillars, Doan Van Hau and Bui Tien Dung, were not included, both due to injury. Needless to say, everyone understands the talent and influence of the above duo on the Vietnam National Team, under Coach Park Hang-seo.

Although the Korean strategist still has many possible replacements, most of them face different problems. In the left-back position, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy is only strong in participating in the attack, while in the center-back position, Tran Dinh Trong and Nguyen Thanh Chung are unlikely to be 100% fit.

Coach Park Hang-seo will not have the services of some important pillars. Photo: Hai Hoang

As we know, the upcoming opponent ofVietnam teamis the Saudi Arabian team, one of the "giants" of Asian football. Besides the home field advantage and physical foundation, the players of the Gulf country also possess quite skillful individual techniques and extensive battle experience. Obviously, the students ofCoach Park Hang-seowill face a huge challenge.

Along with the concerns in defense is the difficult problem in the central midfield position, due to the absence of Do Hung Dung. Losing a pillar of the "box - to - box" midfielder type like Dung "chip" will significantly reduce the strength in the midfield of the Vietnam National Team, both in defense and attack. Simply put, the role of Do Hung Dung in the tactical system that Coach Park has built for the Vietnam National Team for a long time is that no one is capable of replacing.

Most likely, in the upcoming match against the Saudi Arabian team, Coach Park Hang-seo will arrange for Luong Xuan Truong or Nguyen Tuan Anh to pair with Nguyen Quang Hai in the central midfield position. This is the plan that Coach Park used in 3 matches in the second qualifying round, which took place in the UAE in June, and achieved quite positive results.

Midfielder Do Hung Dung's position still has no worthy replacement. Photo: DP

However, if put on the scale, there is a significant difference between the Saudi Arabian team and the Indonesian team, the Malaysian team, and even the UAE team. Even in the 2-3 loss to the UAE team, the midfield of the Vietnamese team was sometimes suffocated by the opponent with superior muscle strength as well as flexibility in playing style.

Therefore, in order to leave Saudi Arabia with a positive result, Coach Park Hang-seo must solve the problems just mentioned. Hopefully, with the "fate" every time he meets representatives from the West Asian region, the Vietnamese team will have a favorable start in the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia./.