Team Vietnam – Afghanistan: An opportunity to test new faces

The Vietnamese team failed to compete in the 3rd qualifying round World Cup 2022 partly due to being caught by the opponent. Therefore, Coach Park Hang-seo must find a new look for the Vietnamese team to play well at AFF Cup 2022 the upcoming, more distant Asian Cup 2023.

Chau Ngoc Quang (3rd from left) is the new factor of the Vietnamese team in the match against Afghanistan Independence

The friendly match against Afghanistan at 19:00 today is an opportunity for Mr. Park to test his new personality and tactical approach against a mid-range opponent in the atmosphere that is sure to be exciting at Thong Nhat Stadium. This is necessary because for a long time, Mr. Park has been framed with a familiar formation and counter-attacking defensive style, leading to difficulties when opponents choose to play defensively. The change started from personnel when the captain of the national team boldly typed 2 favorite midfielders, Luong Xuan Truong and Luong Xuan Truong. Nguyen Tuan Anh. Instead, he chose new factors such as Truong Van Thai Quy, Chau Ngoc Quang, Tran Dinh Khuong, Nguyen Van Vi…

Notice that most of these names are in the midfield. Chau Ngoc Quang is currently one of the most explosive names to help Hai Phong club temporarily rank first in the V-League 2022, leading both the index and the goals after 4 matches.

In the internal match on May 29, Ngoc Quang showed the ability to seize a good opportunity, open fire for the “blue team” next to Tien Linh, Cong Phuong of the “red team”. Truong Van Thai Quy is an effective factor in both the task of regulating the game and scoring goals for the new chapter of Hanoi Club. Tran Dinh Khuong plays in a more defensive position, but the captain of Ho Chi Minh City Club is an important fulcrum in the layout of coach Minh Chien’s squad. Duc Chien from Viettel Club proved himself in the match against Australia at 2022 World Cup qualifiers, will be the plan for both the role of central defender and midfielder (like SEA Games 30 – PV). On the left side, Nguyen Van Vi was called up by Mr. Park at the previous gathering after a successful football season at Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club, promising to be a new choice for Hong Duy when Van Hau and Van Xuan were still in pain.

Changing players in the middle of the pitch will inevitably lead to a change of play. That is a necessary factor for recruiting Vietnam to have a new shape in order to open the premise to bring success in the official tournaments. Park himself also confirmed that he would introduce new people and new ways of playing: “The match against Afghanistan is a very good opportunity for us to test new players and new ways of playing. Several new faces will be released in this match to see if they fit the team’s playstyle. A new element is always a necessary element of every team, so I expect many players to shine in the match against Afghanistan. Besides, we also tested the new gameplay that the players have been practicing in the past few days. The new strategy will be difficult to implement smoothly in the early days, but we will work hard to practice towards good results at the Asian Cup 2023.”

Meanwhile, coach Anoush Dastgir affirmed Afghanistan will play offensively to win: “The Vietnamese team has been much stronger in the past 5 years. I am impressed with the technical play that Vietnamese players show. However, we have the strongest force (only one pillar is missing in Sweden – PV), so we will boldly play offensively to win. It will certainly be a good match when both teams play comfortably for their purposes.”