Pham Xuan Manh is wary of Indonesia's fighting spirit.

Qatar defender Pham Xuan Manh highly appreciated Indonesia's fighting spirit and Vietnam needs to be well prepared.

Xuan Manh and his teammates watched Indonesia lose 1-3 to Iraq on January 15 and were impressed with the spirit of their opponents. "Indonesia has a high fighting spirit and is not afraid of collisions," Xuan Manh said before the January 16 training session with Vietnam. "They have some weaknesses such as the space behind the midfielder that we need to pay attention to and analyze."

Vietnam has learned from the 2-4 loss to Japan in the opening match. On January 17, the team continued to analyze Indonesia's video to prepare the best tactics. "The whole team's goal is to win to have a chance to move on," said Xuan Manh.

Pham Xuan Manh in the match where Vietnam lost 2-4 to Japan on January 14, in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: Lam Thoa — Pham Xuan Manh in the match where Vietnam lost 2-4 to Japan on January 14, in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

Both teams have not scored any points after the first round, but Vietnam ranked third above Indonesia thanks to scoring more goals (2 compared to 1). In the context of Japan and Iraq being stronger, both teams set the priority to win when meeting each other in the clash on January 19.

Xuan Manh said that the praise from fans for the team after the match against Japan was a motivation for him. But he and his teammates need to forget about it to focus on the decisive match against the Southeast Asian opponent.

Against Japan, Xuan Manh was in the starting lineup before leaving the field in the 78th minute to make way for Truong Tien Anh. This was only the fifth match he played for the national team since his first appearance in 2019. Under coach Park Hang-seo, Xuan Manh was not the first choice but was ranked behind seniors Nguyen Trong Hoang, then Vu Van Thanh, Ho Tan Tai. This time, coach Philippe Troussier opened up more opportunities and he took advantage of them while in good form for Hanoi FC.

Xuan Manh admitted that he did not play well against Japan, but he always tries his best to compete for a position with anyone. He does not want to waste the opportunity given to him in Qatar this time. "I try to grasp the tactics of coach Philippe Troussier, every time I move, whether there is the ball or not," the defender from Nghe An shared. "Players must always be proactive in receiving the ball and making passes to put teammates in favorable positions."

Lam Thoa

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