Vietnam vs. China: Many surprises and drama

First of all, Li Tie and his students, as well as...TeamVietnam, having just gone through two unsuccessful matches, losing to two very strong opponents in Group B, Australia.3-0 and Japan 1-0. Certainly, the match against Vietnam is an opportunity for the Chinese team to redeem themselves and earn points.

Pressure on the Chinese team

The Chinese national team will host Vietnam at the neutral venue of Sharjah in the UAE in the third match of the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region on October 7th. The Sohu newspaper has issued a warning to coach Li Tie if the Chinese team continues to perform poorly and suffers an unfavorable result against Vietnam. The newspaper stated: "Two consecutive defeats have left Li Tie's team with no room for error. Each subsequent match will be a life-or-death battle, especially the one against Vietnam. A defeat against Park Hang-seo's team could cost coach Li Tie his job."

The Chinese team is Vietnam's next opponent. (Photo: Archival image)

The pressure is mounting on coach Li Tie because the Chinese national team is still considered stronger than the Vietnamese national team. In the latest FIFA rankings, China is ranked 71st, more than 20 places higher than Vietnam.

Three noteworthy figures

Currently, the Chinese Football Federation is carrying out a "Brazilianization" of the national team in the hope of getting a ticket to the 2022 World Cup. Coach Li Tie has called up 4 naturalized players to the squad, the most notable being striker Ai Kesen (9) playing center forward in the 4-4-1-1 formation. The 32-year-old striker of Guangzhou team has played football in China for 10 years, before that he played for Botafogo (Brazil). Ai Kesen is also the number 1 striker of Guangzhou Club (China) with 11 goals in 13 matches. In the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Ai Kesen scored 4 goals for China and is the most dangerous player that the Vietnamese coaching staff and players must be wary of.

Another Brazilian player who is Ai Kesen's teammate at Guangzhou Club and just made his first appearance for the Chinese National Team is central midfielder Luo Guofu (21), who is 33 years old this year. This national team player has a playing style quite similar to Hoang Thinh, a player from the SLNA academy. Luo Guofu plays quite wide, has good physical strength and stamina because he has a good basic technical foundation and good physique and fitness, so he is not afraid of physical contact. Certainly, the combination between Ai Kesen and Luo Guofu will be an important tactic for Coach Li Tie in the match against the Vietnamese National Team.

Ai Kesen is the most dangerous player that the Vietnamese coaching staff and players must be wary of. Photo: Goal

Age is a burden that has prevented Ai Kesen from reaching his full potential in matches against Australia and Japan. The Chinese national team's attack also includes number 18 Yuning Zhang, a 24-year-old who is 1.85m tall and excels at aerial play. To date, Yuning Zhang has contributed two goals to the Chinese national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Tactical diagram

The Vietnamese national team has dropped in the FIFA rankings. (Photo: Archival image)

In their match against Australia, the Chinese team suffered a crushing defeat after opting for an attacking 4-4-1-1 formation. Against Japan, coach Li Tie switched to a 5-3-2 formation but still conceded a goal at the end of the first half. Therefore, in the match against Vietnam, the Chinese players will undoubtedly push forward to score their first goal in the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. This match will see the return of Cong Phuong and Duy Manh, giving coach Park Hang-seo more personnel options. Compared to their two opponents, Saudi Arabia and Australia, the Chinese team is still considered a much easier opponent.