What weapons does the Vietnamese team have to defeat Thailand?

KTWO PHYSICAL WEAKNESSES

The most obvious advantage of the Vietnamese team in the AFF Cup 2024 final is physical strength. After the semi-final second leg against Singapore, coach Kim Sang-sik’s students have 3 full days to rest, recover and practice for the final first leg which takes place at 8:00 p.m. on January 2 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). ).

Meanwhile, Thailand just went through 120 minutes of “hard war” with the Philippines. Coach Masatada Ishii and his team only had half a day to rest, then had to immediately travel to Vietnam and have a full day to prepare for the finals. With less time to rest and train, and having to travel a lot, it is clear that Thailand will have difficulty in physical fitness.

The Vietnamese team not only benefits from the match schedule, but coach Kim Sang-sik also has a clear strategy for the finals. He rotated the squad, letting key players and reserves play alternately to maintain a good physical foundation. For example, Quang Hai, despite his important role, is used with moderate frequency. He only came on the field in the second half of the second half of the semi-final second leg against Singapore. Or like Hoang Duc, even though he starts, every time there are signs of weakness, the 26-year-old midfielder will immediately be withdrawn from the field. Xuan Son is a rare player who “plodded” all 3 past matches, but that was because he missed all 3 first matches in the group stage (because he was not eligible to play according to FIFA regulations at that time).

Mr. Kim’s strict and calculating way of using people helps the Vietnamese team play better and better. Although they only scored 1 goal in the first half (the second fewest in the tournament), Mr. Kim’s students played extremely well in the second half, as evidenced by the 7 goals scored from the 75th minute onwards. The Vietnamese team has a habit of “warming up” slowly, but once they get into the rhythm of the match, Quang Hai and his teammates are strong enough to sweep away many strong opponents. Physical strength, good fighting spirit combined with flexible tactics are helping Vietnam to be extremely dangerous in the late game.

If the Vietnamese team is good at scoring goals in the last minute, Thailand is good at… conceding after the 80th minute. In the two semi-finals against the Philippines, coach Ishii’s team both conceded in the last 10 minutes of the match. That was the time when Thailand was weak and mistakes were easily exposed. Like the semi-final second leg at Rajamangala Stadium on the evening of December 30, the “war elephant” was scored by the Philippines to shorten the score in the 84th minute, then succumbed to the opponent’s suffocating pressure. Previously in the first leg, Thailand also played ineffectively in extra time and then lost. Coach Kim Sang-sik carefully analyzed Thailand’s weaknesses. Maybe, the Vietnamese team will enter the match firmly at Viet Tri Stadium, bringing the match into a tense situation to wear down the opponent’s physical strength. When Thailand is exhausted, Xuan Son and his teammates will rise up to decide the match.

MTHE SOUND OF THE STRIKE FROM THE DEFENSE

Facing an opponent who is good at controlling the ball and hitting the middle like Thailand, the Vietnamese team must arrange a strong defense in the middle. The battle in the middle will be very tense, when both sides have skillful midfielders and good opponents (Ngoc Tan, Hoang Duc of Vietnam, Peeradon, Davies of Thailand). When the midfield has to engage in a battle to keep control of the ball with the Thais, coach Kim Sang-sik can expect quick attacks built from the defense.

In the semi-final second leg against Singapore, midfielder Duy Manh had 2 situations of rising high and then passing across the line, putting Ngoc Quang in a face-to-face position. To deploy this strategy, the Vietnamese team needs midfielders who are good at passing the ball, along with midfielders who move smartly to exploit space.

With a team that likes to control the ball and press high up the team like Thailand, there will be a lot of space exposed behind the defense. If they can “lure” the opponent into pushing high and then throwing accurate passes across the line, the Vietnamese team will have a chance to counterattack.

To be fair, the Thai team is still in the upper hand at the AFF Cup final. “War Elephant” has fluency, coherence and diverse ball deployment techniques. Even at its peak with Coach Park Hang-seo, the Vietnamese team was never able to pressure Thailand. Therefore, choosing a playing style that knows one’s self and wisely exploits the opponent’s shortcomings will be the path to victory for Mr. Kim’s teachers and students.