Vietnam - Malaysia: Van Duc, Nguyen Manh in the starting lineup?

Fortunately, before this match took place, the situation of the Vietnamese team in all aspects was considered stable, while the Malaysian side faced many difficulties due to 4 players infected with Covid-19, accusations of match-fixing and internal conflicts... However, the Malaysian team still has many strengths that even the Thai people are wary of, soVietnam National Teamwill have to prepare best, compete as best as possible to soon achieve the goal in group B at this time.

Certainly, Mr. Park Hang-seo has carefully prepared the squad for the match by letting Ngoc Hai and Tuan Anh rest for the entire match against the Laos team, only letting Quang Hai come on the field to "warm up" for 45 minutes in the second half and also only letting Tien Linh play for 45 minutes in the first half in the opening match. Many people imagine that today's lineup is the same as the lineup for the recent World Cup qualifiers but with a few small changes, perhaps in the goalkeeper position.

Vietnam team in a training session. Photo: VFF

After 5 years of returning to the goal of the Vietnam National Team, although he did not have to spend much energy in the match against the Laos National Team, Nguyen Manh - the former SLNA goalkeeper still showed good professional ability and the ability to play with high concentration in decisive situations. Those were 3 situations that scored points in the eyes of the coaching staff and teammates: jumping up to punch the ball to relieve the situation in a messy high ball situation in front of the goal - something that when playing in the World Cup qualifiers, Nguyen Manh was often considered to be at a disadvantage in terms of physique, but when returning to the AFF Cup, that story will not exist and this situation is proof: those were 2 situations of catching the ball from a header and clearing the ball from a face-to-face shot by the number 1 striker of the Laos National Team, Billy Ketkeophamphone... Therefore, the possibility that Nguyen Manh will continue to be trusted to be the main goalkeeper in the match against Malaysia, as many people have speculated, is well-founded.

The three central defenders, apart from Tien Dung and Duy Manh who are fully fit, Ngoc Hai will inevitably return to the central command position and captain of the national team, although Thanh Chung played quite well in the match against the Lao national team. The wings will also have changes when Van Thanh and Hong Duy return. Although Tan Tai played well before, perhaps the reserve position 1 is more appropriate?

The central midfield will certainly also change when Tuan Anh returns to pair with Hoang Duc, temporarily letting Xuan Truong start behind as usual. Also in the defensive-counterattacking formation, Van Duc will be more trusted than Cong Phuong in the midfield next to Quang Hai, playing together to support the highest player, none other than Tien Linh.

The Vietnamese team fought with a never-give-up spirit. Photo courtesy of Hai Hoang

What needs to be said is that currently, it seems that the Vietnam National Team has not achieved high attacking efficiency even though it has not experienced a break in competition due to Covid-19 like other teams? Experts have calculated that the conversion rate of opportunities into goals of the Vietnam National Team is only 12%, lower than strong teams such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Although both goals of the Vietnam National Team came from the flanks, the current flank attack rate is also low, with an accuracy rate of only 17%, lower than many other teams in the same period... And when playing aggressively like in the match against the Laos National Team, the Vietnam National Team's counter-attacking ability is also not good, especially the situation where striker Billy faced the goalkeeper and almost made a difference...

A Malaysian player exclaimed, “Vietnam is playing like they did in the 2018 AFF Cup,” a statement that contains many things to ponder. It could be a compliment, a warning about the inherent strength of the defending champion team, but it could also be an announcement that “we have figured out” the opponent and the opponent has absolutely nothing new?

Hopefully, what happened in the last match of the Vietnam National Team was just a calculated prelude and will save the trump cards for later, against the big opponents. Also hope that Van Duc, Nguyen Manh... continue to be trusted and bring out their best abilities and strengths, contributing the most to the team in this most important match, truly being the ones who return "more dangerous than before", firmly following in the footsteps of their seniors Hong Son, Trong Hoang...