Expert Vu Manh Hai: ‘Vietnam needs the brave spirit of Coach Gong’

– U23 Asia is the first tournament of coach Gong Oh-kyun with Vietnamese football. How do you rate this Korean leader?

– It is interesting that Vietnam played the first match under Coach Gong with a completely different tactical style than Coach Park Hang-seo. I think the press and the public talked a lot about this after the game.

Personally, I noticed that Coach Gong is also a personality. I was excited when he dared to let the team press high, overwhelming from the first minutes against an equally talented opponent. This is quite surprising because Vietnam and Thailand know each other well, having just met not long ago at the SEA Games. Vietnam pre-empted Thailand and that brought the opening goal, creating a great start. The players are excited and the team spirit is enhanced. Fans are also happy with such a game.

This is a very different feature and it takes really courage to be able to direct students like that, because we are not sure better than Thailand. Compared to the SEA Games, the opponent has added many foreign players and Thailand also claims that they have the best personnel in this U23 group. Coach Gong’s pressing style also creates confidence in the players that we are not to the point of being afraid of physical strength when facing the top Asian opponents. That belief is valuable. The first few minutes of playing like that paved the way for the team to have a good game later. Of course, if you play like that from the beginning, the team will not have enough stamina to maintain the state of the game towards the end. In the second half, Vietnam was affected when many players had cramps. But I think that Coach Gong spent a lot of time learning about this group of players, so he trusted and let them play like that.

– What will that brave spirit mean to Korea?

– Even though it was only a draw with Thailand, I think the confidence in the Vietnamese squad right now is really great. Coach Gong has made players feel that they should not be afraid of any opponent. Before Korea, that belief is even more important because this is an opponent with superior strength.

Vietnam did not have the strongest squad against Thailand but still played fairly and only lost the victory in injury time. Therefore, there is nothing to be afraid of Korea. I think this afternoon will be an interesting match and how Coach Gong will use tactics will be very much worth waiting for. What I am sure is that Vietnam will play with a relaxed mentality after what they showed against Thailand. Hope the team will get good results.

– Korea has many players who were former students of Coach Gong. How does this affect Vietnam?

This problem has two sides, good and bad. Mr. Gong, of course, knows the strengths and weaknesses of his former students. But conversely, the Korean players also know how to operate his team. Both sides have advantages and disadvantages of understanding each other like that. That makes the competition even more interesting.

One thing is clear in this table, Korea is too strong. Vietnam needs to keep the balance, not lose too much. I think with the physical strength and certainty in the current defense, Vietnam can completely withstand the attack of Korea. Maybe the match will end with a negative result for us. But the team needs to keep the faith that has been cultivated since the opening match and then bring it to the match against Malaysia. But I think defeating Korea is not easy.

Personally, I hope Vietnam can win a draw. The team will need a stellar performance to get there. A loss with the minimum score is also acceptable because after all, in this table, the remaining ticket is still the competition between Vietnam and Thailand. We need to wait for the development of the Thailand – Malaysia match, combined with what happened in the first match, to get more comments about Malaysia.

– How do you rate the current generation of Vietnamese U23 players??

– This is the first U23 group in Vietnam that I see a similarity in level between the players. Coach Gong is holding an even squad, there is not much difference between the main and reserve squad. Even in the match against Thailand, Mr. Gong dragged Nham Manh Dung, a player with a forte as a striker, to replace Thanh Binh in the defense.

Manh Dung previously played as a defender, but during training and playing with the U23 team, he always played as a striker. However, Mr. Gong still bravely gave Dung such an important position and he completed the task well. Besides, the team also introduced many young faces, many players I don’t know who they are but still come on the field and kick well.

I think the current U23 generation does not have outstanding players like Quang Hai or Hoang Duc, but they have diversity and flexibility. Any position is replaceable with equal quality. The substitute players are no less official. That helps the team not to worry too much about the force chipping. I still consider this group of talented players. Although there are no good individuals to create mutations, but believe in the unity and collective play of the team.

Vinh San