Coach Kim: Vietnam team needs to win big against Laos to get a goal difference

Mr. Kim Sang-sik.

"We have prepared carefully for the match against Laos and hope this will be a dedicated match where our students score many goals," Mr. Kim Sang-sik opened the press conference before the match on the afternoon of March 24.

When asked why the Vietnamese team had to practice behind closed doors on March 23, Mr. Kim said that this was part of the match organizers' plan to ensure professionalism. In fact, AFC and FIFA regulations only allow teams to practice openly for a few minutes the day before the match, while on other days, teams have the right to close the practice session.

Mr. Kim also talked about the importance of scoring many goals: "This is an official qualifying match, the players need to meet the psychological and physical requirements to compete. The most important thing is to pass the group stage, so the first match is extremely important. The same goes for the match with Malaysia, scoring many goals will help the team advance more easily, the most important thing is still winning. I hope tomorrow the players will score many goals right from the first half."

When asked about information about researching opponents, the Korean strategist said: "Based on the analysis of the match between Laos and Sri Lanka, I saw that the Laos team had 3 more foreign-born players. I shared with the players to prepare countermeasures. The Laos team is stronger with foreign-born players."

The three French-origin players that Mr. Kim mentioned are striker Roman Angot, midfielder Theo Klein and defender Victor Ngovinassack. They debuted for Laos U22 at the 32nd SEA Games, contributing to Philippe Troussier's Vietnam U22 struggling in the group stage of the 2023 sports festival in Cambodia. These players will not participate in the 2024 ASEAN Cup because they are busy studying or injured. Mr. Kim said that the Vietnamese team will not be complacent.

Attending the press conference with coach Kim was striker Nguyen Tien Linh, a player who has just recovered from injury and came off the bench in the match against Cambodia.

"Tomorrow is the team's first match in the Asian qualifiers. We are in good spirits and in good physical condition. This will not be an easy match. The Vietnamese team is preparing the best to have a good start. We hope to bring victory as a gift to the fans. I myself am 100% fit and in good spirits. Playing at home is also a motivation for me," said Tien Linh.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-kim-tuyen-viet-nam-can-thang-dam-lao-de-lay-hieu-so-post1540541.html