Thailand is a big mountain but is there any mountain that cannot be climbed?
In the last 7 matches against Thailand, the Vietnamese team has drawn and lost. Most recently, in September 2024, Mr. Kim's students lost 1-2 to Thailand right at My Dinh Stadium. However, coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that the failures are a thing of the past. "We are only focusing on the present. The players are putting all their efforts into this confrontation. I told the players that one is to win, two is to win and three is to win. The Vietnamese team will devote all their efforts to the final match," Mr. Kim shared with the press.
Coach Kim Sang-sik (left) and his student Xuan Manh are determined to help the Vietnamese team win on the "fire pan" of Viet Tri.
The Korean strategist respected his opponent when calling Thailand a "big mountain", but he said: "There is no mountain that cannot be overcome". Coach Kim Sang-sik's confidence comes from the impressive performance of the Vietnamese team with 6 unbeaten matches (5 wins, 1 draw), along with the physical advantage over Thailand, who were tired after the second leg of the semi-final with the Philippines that lasted 120 minutes.
"The players will fight as a united group to win for the fans in the first days of the new year 2025. I know Thailand just went through a long and tiring match against the Philippines. After that, they had to move to Vietnam. Thai players are being affected mentally and physically, which gives Vietnam confidence and good spirit. We will try our best to play strongly," said coach Kim Sang-sik.
Mr. Kim is also confident before the match with coach Masatada Ishii of Thailand. After defeating a Japanese strategist (Tsutomu Ogura of Singapore), Mr. Kim is ready to defeat another coach from the land of the rising sun. "The coach of the Thai team is Japanese, and I am Korean, so this is an "East Asian derby" between two coaches. Hopefully, my students and I will play well to defeat another team coached by a Japanese coach."
Meanwhile, Thailand coach Masatada Ishii affirmed that the Vietnamese team is "very strong" and: "They have improved and changed their squad to be very different from September 2024".
Thailand's disadvantage in the final is the tight travel and training schedule. "Not only Suphanat Muenta has problems, but also some players are injured. I will coordinate with the coaching staff to bring the best physical condition to the players," said Mr. Ishii.
However, Thailand's goal remains unchanged, which is to win. "I want Thailand to win all 8 matches in the 2024 AFF Cup, but the team has already lost to the Philippines. So I told the players that they must beat Vietnam in the final. The Thai team is determined to win this match."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dau-tri-chung-ket-viet-nam-dai-chien-thai-lan-than-trong-nhung-khong-so-hai-185250101223708595.htm
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