Qatar Determining this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, central defender Bui Hoang Viet Anh affirmed that he and his teammates will try their best to go as far as possible in the 2023 Asian Cup.
"After a period of training together, the team is now very well prepared and ready for the match with Japan. Coach Philippe Troussier also shared many things, because he understands Japanese football very well," Viet Anh told VnExpress before the training session on the afternoon of January 12 in Qatar.
Bui Hoang Viet Anh on the training ground with the Vietnamese team in Doha, Qatar on the afternoon of January 12. Photo: Lam Thoa
Japan is currently the number one candidate for the championship and is considered the biggest challenge for the Vietnamese team in the tournament that starts today. This East Asian team has won the Asian Cup four times, currently ranked 17th in FIFA - the highest in the continent, 77 places higher than Vietnam. They also have a high-quality squad with a series of good players playing for strong clubs in Europe.
However, according to Viet Anh, this difference in skill level does not mean that he and his teammates are afraid of their opponents in the opening match of the group on January 14. The defender of the Hanoi Police Club said: "In our career as players, we do not have many opportunities to face opponents of the same level as Japan. Therefore, the whole team is eagerly waiting for the upcoming match, considering this a good opportunity to compete and learn."
Viet Anh also hopes to earn points with his team against Japan to create momentum for the goal of going deeper at the 2023 Asian Cup. He said: "We will try to play as well as possible. And if we are lucky, I think we can win or draw. The Vietnamese team did not come to this tournament to play for fun, but wanted to go as deep and as far as possible."
Compared to the most recent training sessions, the Vietnamese team lost a series of key players in the defense, such as goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, central defenders Bui Tien Dung, Que Ngoc Hai, Doan Van Hau, Ho Tan Tai, and Nguyen Thanh Chung. The responsibility will therefore fall on Viet Anh, Do Duy Manh, and newly naturalized goalkeeper Nguyen Filip. However, the 25-year-old defender is still confident and accepts the challenge. Viet Anh said: "I am determined to try to play well, command my teammates in the defense, and work together to play well, helping the team achieve its performance goals."
Viet Anh is also optimistic that he will coordinate well with Nguyen Filip - who is also a teammate at the Hanoi Police Club. "After a period of training and competing together at both the club and the national team, I see that Filip is a very good goalkeeper. Although there was some language difficulty at first, thanks to the support of the interpreters, we communicated a lot and understood each other better," Viet Anh added.
Lam Thoa
Source link
Comment (0)