VFF sends German technical director to scout group A

Mr. Jurgen Gede was in the Philippines to collect information about the opponents in Group A, preparing for the possibility of Vietnam entering the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2016.

"The Vietnamese team does not know whether they will make it to the semi-finals or not, but with the responsibility of the Federation and the desire to provide the best possible support to coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his team, we must prepare for all possibilities. Collecting information about opponents is a must," VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan explained to VnExpress about the decision to send people to the Philippines.

Assisting German Technical Director Gede in his "scouting" trip to Group A is the Chairman of the National Coaching Council, Mr. Nguyen Si Hien. Two VFF members are already in the Philippines and will begin their duties today.

Technical Director Gede. Photo: VFF.

Mr. Gede took office as VFF Technical Director in mid-June. Since 1991, this German coach has led the clubs Cologne, Schalke 04, U20 Uzbekistan, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Ghandi and Al Ahli (Iran), Neftchi (Azerbaijan), and then worked as assistant head coach of the Azerbaijan national team.

The 2016 AFF Cup group stage will take place in two countries. Group A, hosted by the Philippines, will feature co-hosts Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, playing from November 19 to November 25. Group B, featuring co-hosts Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, will play from November 20 to November 26.

In case of finishing first in Group B, the Vietnamese team will move from Myanmar to the home field of the second team in Group A to play the first leg of the semi-final on December 3. If they finish second in the group, coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his team will fly back to Hanoi to prepare to welcome the first team in Group A.

Among the four opponents in Group A, the Vietnamese team knows Indonesia quite well thanks to the two recent friendly matches. Many players also faced Thailand in the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. However, coach Huu Thang and his team still need the latest updates on the team under coach Kiatisuk Senamuang, as well as the two remaining teams, the Philippines and Singapore.

Thailand is the most formidable opponent in Group A. They just excellently held Australia to a 2-2 draw in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, stage three.

Thailand, with a squad consisting mainly of players competing for the 2018 World Cup, is considered the strongest candidate for the top spot in Group A, as well as the championship of this AFF Cup. The second place in the group and the next semi-final spot will be a fierce competition between the remaining three evenly matched opponents.

According to VNE