Expert: "Vietnam team should be cautious before a surprise attack from Singapore"

Former VFF Vice President Duong Vu Lam said that Singapore is not too strong, but the Vietnamese team cannot be subjective in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 semi-final at Jalan Besar Stadium at 8:00 p.m. today.

How do you rate the current Vietnamese team compared to the Singapore team? - Overall, the Vietnamese team is stronger than Singapore. In particular, in terms of personnel quality, the Vietnamese players are currently better than their opponents. In terms of form, the Vietnamese team is also in good form.

Chuyên gia: Tuyển Việt Nam cẩn trọng trước đòn đánh bất ngờ từ Singapore - 1

The Vietnam team currently has good strength (Photo: Manh Quan).

On the contrary, Singapore had an unimpressive group stage journey. However, there is one point that cannot be ignored: for many years, the Vietnamese team has never had an easy victory against Singapore. At first glance, they play very simply, but their style of play can counter the style of play of the Vietnamese team. Their simplicity can fool opponents, before Singapore launches surprise attacks, when the opponent is not paying attention. Particularly in this year's tournament, the Singapore team's style of play is very modern. What is the difference between the Singapore team in the past and this team at the present time, sir? - In the past, Singapore used more naturalized players than now, so their physique and fitness were better. Back then, Singapore was a team with the best aerial ball ability in Southeast Asia. Now, they no longer use many naturalized players, so the physique and fitness of Singaporean players are not as good as before. However, Singaporean players now play more flexibly, more technically, and coordinate better as a team, following the style of Japanese teams. Expert: Vietnam team must be cautious against surprise attack from Singapore - 2

Expert: Vietnam team must be cautious against surprise attack from Singapore - 2

Will Nguyen Xuan Son continue to score? (Photo: Thanh Dong).

Currently, the Singapore team has a group of very technical attacking players. It's just that these players are a bit old, so they are not flexible enough to play the whole match. Depending on the time, coach Tsutomu Ogura will put these players on the field and the Singapore team will accelerate at that time. As for the Vietnam team, have we stabilized the squad after the group stage? Does the Vietnam team have the best squad since the victory over Myanmar? - It is very difficult to predict the squad of coach Kim Sang Sik. I also do not know which squad Mr. Kim will use in the first leg of the semi-final against Singapore. However, basically, a few players like Xuan Son, Quang Hai, Hoang Duc have the advantage of playing officially. I have high expectations for Hoang Duc. He has the technique and the ability to control the match. The remaining problem of the Vietnam team is that it needs another strong midfielder in the midfield, to defend from a distance, compete in one-on-one battles, and relieve pressure on Quang Hai or Hoang Duc in this area. From there, Quang Hai and Hoang Duc will have more conditions to participate in the attack. Expert: Vietnam team must be cautious against surprise attack from Singapore - 3

Expert: Vietnam team must be cautious against surprise attack from Singapore - 3

Singapore is highly appreciated for its modern playing style (Photo: FAS).

I think Vietnam is still the stronger team, capable of winning, provided we don't let ourselves be fooled by Singapore's rather simple appearance.

We must be very careful of our opponents' counterattacks. Even Thailand conceded goals because of counterattacks like this, so we cannot let our guard down. Thank you for the interview!