According to the latest rankings of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) in April 2023, the Hong Kong team was deducted 5.36 points, falling 1 place from its previous position. In the FIFA Days series in March, the Hong Kong team had 2 matches. They drew 1-1 with the Singapore team and lost 0-2 to another representative in Southeast Asia, the Malaysia team.
According to Transfermark.com , the Hong Kong team is currently valued at around 6 million euros. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team is valued at around 6.43 million euros by Transfermark.com . The average age of the Hong Kong team is also higher than the Vietnamese team. The average age of the players regularly called up to the Hong Kong team is 27.7. As for the Vietnamese team, this number is 26.5.
The Hong Kong team is currently led by Norwegian coach Jorn Andersen. He has worked for many years in European teams such as Borussia Monchenlaback, Mainz 05 of Germany, Salzburg of Austria... Before becoming the head coach of the Hong Kong team, he was the coach of the Korean club, Incheon United - the team that previously had two players wearing the Vietnamese team's jersey, Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong, playing together. He has currently played a total of 9 matches with the Hong Kong team and has a winning rate of 44.44%.
Coach Jorn Andersen brings many changes to the playing style of the Hong Kong team
Although ranked 147th in the world, the Hong Kong team has shown remarkable progress since coach Jorn Andersen took charge. The most obvious evidence is that they have returned to the Asian Cup after a 55-year wait. Notably, in the qualifying round held in India, the Hong Kong team defeated Afghanistan and Cambodia with scores of 2-1 and 3-0 respectively to be present in Qatar.
Instead of starting the match by defending tightly and looking for counter-attack opportunities like the previous period, the Hong Kong team started the match by playing more proactively. They focused more on speed and connection between players on the field.
Hong Kong team celebrates the goal that helped them reach the Asian Cup after 55 years of waiting
“We have been training hard and made some important changes. We agreed with everyone that we have to play offensively, press high, create chances and score goals. That is what people want to see on the pitch, not the slow, stale games that some teams are playing. The players have accepted it and learned quickly," coach Andersen shared after the matches in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The Hong Kong team has always played with great determination in recent matches.
In the Hong Kong team, captain Huang Yang is the most important face. Although he is 39 years old, his presence on the field helps the Hong Kong team's midfield become more solid and stronger. In defense, the English-born player Andy Russell always brings stability and is a reliable stopper for his teammates. In goal, goalkeeper Yapp Hung Fai - who currently holds the record for the most appearances for the Hong Kong team with 83 times - is always the number 1 choice of coaches. In the matches of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers, Yapp Hung Fai's excellent reflexes have saved many clear-cut goals for the Hong Kong team.
At FIFA Days in June, in addition to the match with Vietnam, the Hong Kong team will have another match with Southeast Asian representative Thailand on June 19. With their recent progress, the Hong Kong team promises to be an important “test” for Coach Troussier to demonstrate his coaching style in the first match with Vietnam.
Coach Troussier will still have a lot of work to do with the Vietnam team to conquer the next goals.
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