U23 Vietnam attacks well, but lacks luck

Indeed, both of what Mr. Gong said happened in the opening match of the U23 Asian Cup against Thailand more than 10 days after the final match of the 31st SEA Games.

Even though many players suffered from food poisoning due to force majeure, U23 Vietnam presented a completely new and different face compared to the long-standing “success formula” of its predecessor Park Hang-seo. That is the 4-3-3 formation when having the ball and 4-1-3-1 when defending deep. It can be said that for the first time in the history of the fateful confrontation with the Thais, U23 Vietnam fielded 3 strikers at the same time with the task of attacking, attacking and attacking.

Tuan Tai celebrates his goal with his teammates in the match against U23 Thailand. Photo: Huu Tan

When receiving information about the starting lineup of U23 Vietnam, many people were worried because there were only 5 players who had been present at the recent SEA Games, the remaining 6 were completely new faces.

Not to mention when playing on the field, Mr. Gong arranged the players very strangely, such as Duy Cuong playing as a midfielder, closest to the back four, while Manh Dung played as a center back with Viet Anh, while Tien Long, who previously played as a left center back, now plays as a right full back.

However, U23 Vietnam still made the Thais only have 17 seconds of initial peace when Tuan Tai scored in the 18th second of the match. Then in the following minutes, the plan to overthrow U23 Vietnam after the defeat at SEA Games 31 was completely ruined, forcing Mr. Srimaka to replace 2x2 players in the midfield twice in 2 halves, urging the players to "run for their lives" in order to have a sweaty draw.

The positions of U23 Vietnam, thanks to their inherent versatility, are always required to perform different tasks, such as Manh Dung played as a center back throughout the first half, but when the home team equalized, he was pushed up to play as a real striker. Duy Cuong sometimes returned to play as a center back. However, the whole system still operated smoothly and perfectly. Tuan Tai is still the most explosive and dangerous point of U23 Vietnam to finish off the Thais from the finals of the U23 Southeast Asia, the finals of the SEA Games and the U23 Asian Cup. Mr. Gong's students have twice broken through the Thai net as his teacher had declared. Van Tung entered the field at the beginning of the second half and this player's beautiful goal will really make all upcoming opponents wary...

Tuan Tai blocked a Thai attack at the 2022 AFC U23 Championship. Photo: Lam Thoa's file

After the match, Mr. Gong praised the U23 Vietnam players as truly “warriors” and had complete faith in his students no matter what happened. It is very possible that the unexpected incident before the match robbed U23 Vietnam of a victory when they did not have the strongest squad and at the end of the match, many players suffered from cramps and pain but still had to grit their teeth and play because they had run out of substitutions. The U23 Vietnam “warriors” persevered and made the Thais, despite getting 1 point, still have to “hold the grudge” against us.

It can also be said that goalkeeper Van Toan's mistake at the end of the first half was an individual mistake, but we must also consider the fact that the close-up and restriction of Ben Davies, who is no stranger to the recent SEA Games, meant that the midfield was not alert, tight, and could not keep up with this situation, causing the whole team to pay the price. Furthermore, U23 Vietnam actively played offensively, which was a new and encouraging point, but clearly the new defensive system has revealed fatal weaknesses. Twice taking the lead, U23 Vietnam were equalized. This is a disadvantage compared to before, especially a SEA Games where no goals were conceded.

It is very likely that with 3 consecutive mistakes against U23 Thailand, goalkeeper Van Toan will have to face a huge challenge in his career and Mr. Gong will be forced to recalculate when Van Chuan played well when replacing him, not to mention Tuan Hung also showed considerable trust after what he has shown. Another important thing is to find the cause of the food poisoning story and resolutely say no to this situation in the future for any reason, any excuse, for anyone involved.

The really good greeting of U23 Vietnam in the match against U23 Thailand will encourage Mr. Gong Oh-kyun and his team in the upcoming race with the hope that the players will quickly recover their health and catch up with the new requirements. When there are no players over 23 years old like in the SEA Games, it is clear that U23 Vietnam is completely self-sufficient and confident in taking on the task. That is also the long-term vision of the coaching staff when there is a specific and meticulous plan for each stage, when step by step preparing for Viet Anh, Thanh Binh, Duy Cuong, Tan Tai, Van Tung... to step into the light as what has been seen and achieved against the top Thai players in the region...