Vietnam - Australia: Hope in the unexpected

Although playing at home, the weather conditions are not as unfavorable as the matches against UAE (round 2) or recently against Saudi Arabia, but in the conditions of preventing and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the stadium has no spectators, especially the force of the Vietnam National Team is facing huge fluctuations, the match against Australia is truly one of the biggest challenges for Coach Park Hang-seo and his team ever.

Quang Hai scored the opening goal for Vietnam in the match against Saudi Arabia. Photo: Internet

First of all, in terms of force, after only a period of concentration and an opening match of the qualifying round, the defense - the most solid support for all the progress of the team over the past time -Vietnam National Teamhas been dealt fatal blows due to consecutive injuries plus penalty cards at a time when it is more urgent than ever. The injuries of Van Hau, Tien Dung, Thanh Chung, Dinh Trong... Duy Manh's penalty card has objective reasons to accept, but there are also subjective reasons from the inherent haste and conservatism of Mr. Park Hang-seo and the players themselves, such as Dinh Trong for example. This will cause the Vietnam National Team to suffer a double loss when the main players cannot complete their tasks, when the reserve players no longer have a chance, and there is a complete lack of systematic and systematic replacement of reserve players when needed. Meanwhile, clubs like Hanoi FC will have to cry out when the qualifying round ends with a series of "injured soldiers" and will face difficulties when the V. League continues.

In the goalkeeper position, Tan Truong has generally played excellently when he was trusted. But clearly, with the penalty situations that the Vietnamese team encountered, everyone knows that if Van Lam stood in the goal, things could have been different in a favorable direction for the Golden Star Warriors? Therefore, in the match against Australia, Van Lam will likely be trusted to safely handle high balls with the advantage of "reading the game" from some key opponents on the away team. Similarly, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, with his ideal physique, youth and desire, could also be given the opportunity to play as a center back, replacing Duy Manh who is serving a suspension?

Duy Manh let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area, causing the Vietnamese team to concede a goal in the match against Saudi Arabia. Photo: Internet

In midfield, public opinion is focusing on whether Mr. Park Hang-seo should continue to trust the central pair Tuan Anh - Hoang Duc or Duc Huy to play from the start to add steel to the defense from afar? Could it be that Minh Vuong, after not going to Saudi Arabia, is focusing his energy and creating a surprise in the match with the hope of scoring points at home? Meanwhile, many opinions expressed disappointment with Van Duc and nominated Van Toan as one of the attacking spearheads suitable for Tien Linh? Looking at the mechanical statistics, Van Duc has not shown to meet the hopes of many people, but why Mr. Park Hang-seo still trusts him is something that needs to be carefully and thoroughly considered. However, after a long time of not being himself, despite trying very hard, should Van Duc have a different starting point, it is best to come on the field from the bench, who knows, that will be the time to find himself the fastest, as he has shown before?

It will be a tough match with aerial battles, lightning-fast flank attacks, and one-on-one situations where the defeat will be on the shoulders of Coach Park Hang-seo's students.

Statistics from youth teams are generally just a reference, meaningless for the national team, especially in the race for a ticket to the World Cup where the away team is one of the potential candidates. Of course, attacking a strong opponent is the worst strategy, but if you defend passively and still lose as usual, it is not a reasonable calculation.

Fans will have to meet many requirements to be able to enter the stadium to watch the Vietnam team play the World Cup qualifiers at My Dinh Stadium. Photo courtesy of Hai Hoang

Perhaps, the philosophy of "using the weak to defeat the strong" or "long-term resistance" needs to be applied at this time with weapons named Quang Hai, Van Toan, Hoang Duc... using ingenuity and intelligence to counter physical strength and subjectivity and underestimation on the opponent's side to truly "overcome the sun and rain" in all specific circumstances and conditions.

A small team, entering the match with a strong desire, with high determination, alertness and flexibility in tactics can also create miracles and surprises. Moreover, the experience gained from the matches against UAE, Saudi Arabia and even with the upcoming top opponents such as Australia, Japan... will help the golden star warriors grow up day by day, increasing the hope for Vietnamese football in the coming time. That is what Vietnamese football really has, when we are not too unrealistic, pulling ourselves up by the hair to hope for some "earthquake" at this time?