South Korean coach Philippe Troussier confirmed that Vietnam will defend for most of the time against the world's top stars on the Korean side in the friendly match at Suwon Stadium.
* Korea - Vietnam: 6pm Tuesday October 17, on VnExpress.
Coach Troussier assessed that Korea is the strongest team in the world, so tomorrow's match will be very difficult. "We carefully analyzed the situations and assessed that Vietnam will play defensively from 60 to 70% of the time the ball was rolling," he said at a press conference this afternoon, October 16.
On that basis, the coaching staff of the Vietnamese team determined that the players needed to play calmly and overcome pressure from the opponent. "I told the players that this is not a test or a challenge. This match is like a gift because the players get to face the world's top names," coach Troussier added.
Coach Troussier speaks at the press conference room at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of October 16, one day before the friendly match between Vietnam and South Korea. Photo: Yonhap
According to the French coach, many Vietnamese players are looking forward to facing Korean stars like Tottenham striker Son Heung-min or Bayern midfielder Kim Min-jae. This is considered a good opportunity to learn and progress faster. Vietnam's goal is to create players who can conquer the World Cup like Korea.
When leading Japan from 1998 to 2002, Coach Troussier faced Korea three times with a record of two losses and one draw. After 20 years, Korea is ranked 26th in FIFA, and has consecutively participated in the World Cup finals. Mr. Troussier commented: "Korean football has created a big gap with small football countries. Of course, the gap will gradually narrow, but Vietnamese players need more skills to catch up."
After a winning start, Vietnam lost both of their last two matches 0-2, against China and Uzbekistan. Coach Troussier faced a lot of criticism for his unclear playing style and experimenting with too many personnel. But on the Korean side, coach Jurgen Klinsmann was also under similar pressure, as there were still many disturbances and he failed to make a clear impression.
The two teams have met six times in the past, with the advantage tilted towards Korea - winning five times, losing one. Their 0-1 loss came in 2023, in the 2004 Asian Cup qualifiers, where Pham Van Quyen scored the only goal for Vietnam.
Regarding the squad, South Korea has left open the possibility of Son Heung-min and Hwang In-beom playing. Meanwhile, Vietnam is missing three players: Que Ngoc Hai and Quang Hai due to calf injuries, while striker Nguyen Tien Linh is suspended after receiving a red card in the loss to China.
Hieu Luong
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