The second leg of the final is unpredictable.

Báo Thanh niên•04/01/2025

What tactics will Thailand use to "neutralize" Xuan Son and refresh their attack?

After the first leg of the final, the Thai team certainly understood striker Nguyen Xuan Son well. Thai football expert Boonruang Ratanawichian commented that the reason the Thai team conceded two goals was because they overlooked the danger posed by Vietnam's main striker.

In the return leg, Thailand will likely employ a different defensive formation to limit Xuan Son's influence. The powerful center-back Jonathan Khemdee (1.90 m), who wasn't used in the first leg, could be deployed in the second. Khemdee's role might simply be to closely mark Vietnam's current star player, outmaneuvering him physically and defending against aerial balls for Thailand, given the threat posed by Xuan Son.

Thái Lan sẽ thay đổi trong trận lượt về — Thailand will make changes in the second leg.

In attack, Thailand will utilize attacking midfielder Supachok Sarachat and striker Suphanat Mueanta more frequently. In the first leg, both players were only brought on in the second half. This was because Suphanat Mueanta was not in his best physical condition, having recently recovered from a high fever before arriving in Vietnam.

As for Supachok Sarachat, coach Masatada Ishii brought him on a little late, because in the first leg, he gave more opportunities to attacking midfielder Ekanit Panya, hoping Ekanit would surprise the Vietnamese team, but it was unsuccessful.

It's noteworthy that after the Supachok and Suphanat brothers were brought on in the first leg, Thailand's ball control improved significantly, before they scored a goal to narrow the gap through Chalermsak Aukkee in the 83rd minute.

The Vietnamese national team 'lands' in Thailand: Xuan Son trains hard, everyone is ready!

Expert Boonruang Ratanawichian also suggested that the Thai team should calmly maintain possession against Vietnam and avoid rushing to push their formation forward. "Thailand still has the entire second leg match ahead of them," Boonruang Ratanawichian analyzed.

Besides Jonathan Khemdee, Suphanat Mueanta, and Supachok Sarachat, Thailand also has striker Teerasak Poeiphimai, who was not used in the first leg. This player has scored 3 goals in this year's AFF Cup. If Thailand needs to focus all their efforts on attack, they may bring on Teerasak Poeiphimai to increase their scoring potential.

Just as the Thai team didn't use striker Teerasak Poeiphimai in the first leg, the Vietnamese team also hardly used Tien Linh in the match at Viet Tri Stadium on January 2nd. The striker, currently playing for Binh Duong Club, only came on in the final minutes of added time, not enough time for him to make an impact.

HLV Kim Sang-sik vẫn còn quân bài để sử dụng trong trận lượt về — Coach Kim Sang-sik still has cards to play in the second leg.

In theory, once Xuan Son is under more scrutiny and tightly marked in the second leg, it will be an opportunity for Tien Linh to exploit the spaces created by Xuan Son. Tien Linh himself is a very good goalscorer, so if the Thai defense lets their guard down against him, they will pay the price, just as they did for underestimating Xuan Son's ability in the first leg.

In defense, the Vietnamese team did not use goalkeeper Nguyen Filip (1.92 m) and center-back Bui Hoang Viet Anh (1.85 m) in the first leg of the final. These two players are the best at defending against aerial balls on the Vietnamese side, thanks to their excellent physiques.

In theory, in the final minutes of the second leg of the final, if Thailand is still trailing, they might resort to bombarding our penalty area with long balls to shorten the attacking time. In that case, the Vietnamese team could bring on goalkeeper Nguyen Filip and center-back Viet Anh to handle aerial duels.

Coaches Masatada Ishii and Kim Sang-sik of the Thai and Vietnamese teams, respectively, both possess players who can both strengthen their own team and disrupt the opponent's playing style. The remaining task is how they utilize these players, depending on the developments and the flow of the game.