Vietnam team needs to change when meeting Malaysia

Be careful

The Vietnamese team had a good start in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, defeating Laos 5-0 at Binh Duong Stadium. Malaysia also had a "start" worth 3 points with a 2-0 victory over Nepal. Ever since the Asian Cup qualifiers draw was finalized, experts predicted that the race in Group F would mainly be between Vietnam and Malaysia. The first match proved that, in the context that the Vietnamese team still showed the spirit of the Southeast Asian champion, while Malaysia also had no difficulty in taking all 3 points. Laos and Nepal are not strong enough to enter the game.

The Vietnamese team (right) will meet formidable opponent Malaysia next June.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

Therefore, the match between the two teams on Malaysia's field next June will be no different from the first leg of the final. Unlike the AFF Cup 2024, when teams play every 2 days and need a more comprehensive strategy than a single-match tactic, the matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers will be very different. Each training session will only feature 1 match. That allows teams with strong potential like Malaysia to concentrate their troops and efforts on a "life-or-death" match to seek an advantage.

In preparation for the match against Vietnam in 2 months, Malaysia is urgently naturalizing players. In addition to the two new players Hector Hevel and Gabriel Palmero who just made their debut in the match against Nepal (Hector Hevel scored the opening goal), the team nicknamed "Tigers" will have 7 more naturalized players. The above information was confirmed to the Malaysian press by Mr. Tunku Ismail, Chairman of Johor Darul Ta'zim Club.

A squad of naturalized players can change the face of the national team. Thanks to players of Dutch descent playing in Europe, Indonesia has transformed from a team that regularly lost in the second round of World Cup qualifiers to a winning team.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain in the third qualifying round and the chance to be present in the final round. The Cambodian team was so weak that it lost to Sri Lanka or Pakistan in the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, but thanks to naturalized players from the Americas and Africa, coach Koji Gyotoku and his team won 4 points in the group stage of the AFF Cup 2024 and almost drew with Vietnam in the friendly match on March 19.

The Malaysian team will be very different from players with European blood. That is something the Vietnamese team must anticipate.

Continue "hunting" for precious gems

Since coaching the Vietnamese team, Coach Kim Sang-sik has always taken advantage of every opportunity to renew the Vietnamese team. Many new players have been given the chance to show off and play well, such as Ngoc Tan, Van Vi, Dinh Trieu, but there have also been many cases of coming and… going, without leaving a professional mark.

Among the new faces that Mr. Kim called up in the March training session, only midfielder Minh Khoa somewhat impressed. New recruits like Ly Duc and Van Viet did not have a chance to show their talent, and Viet Hung was withdrawn from the field after 27 minutes.

Let’s face it: the small number of new recruits in the March training camp seems to be a warning that Vietnam’s football talent pool is no longer abundant. In the matches against Cambodia and Laos, 10 out of 11 starting players played important roles in the AFF Cup. In a friendly match against a weaker opponent, Mr. Kim did not make any significant changes because the new players did not meet professional requirements.

The Korean coach once affirmed that "he will diligently go to the stadium to watch V-League to look for talent", however, only the best will get a place. There will be no favoritism for anyone, just look at the veterans like Ngoc Hai, Hung Dung, Hong Duy to the young players who should be taken care of like Ly Duc, Thai Son, Van Truong. Effort is the only way to be selected. Just look at the way Tien Anh lost the ball in the front line, then sprinted nearly 60 meters to get the ball back to his own half. That is the fighting spirit that Mr. Kim always needs.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has 2 months left to observe the V-League and the National Cup to select talent. In the immediate future, Coach Kim will have a potential reinforcement named Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, a former U.18 French player who has just received Vietnamese citizenship. When Malaysia is changing, the Vietnamese team cannot stand still. That spirit needs to be conveyed from Coach Kim Sang-sik to the players, so that everyone must try to "score points" for the common goal.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-can-thay-doi-khi-gap-malaysia-185250328232903424.htm