Be careful with the Syrian team
After a friendly match with the theoretically weaker opponent Hong Kong, the Vietnamese team will face a real challenge named Syria in the match at 7:30 p.m. on June 20 at Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh .
The Syrian team is ranked 90th in the FIFA rankings, 5 places higher than the Vietnamese team. In Asia, if group 1 includes the top teams that regularly win tickets to the World Cup such as Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Iran, the Syrian team is in group 2 with Uzbekistan, UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain or Oman, which are teams in the World Cup ticket dispute round, inferior to group 1 but stronger than the rest of Asia.
Syrian football has been disrupted for many years due to many reasons, however, the Middle Eastern team is still a tough opponent in major tournaments.
Syria team is a formidable challenge
In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the Syrian team finished third to qualify for the play-offs, before losing to Australia. For Syrian football, this was an achievement beyond expectations. The Syrian team then once again qualified for the third qualifying round (topping the second qualifying round group, ahead of China) and although they could not play the play-offs like 4 years ago, Syria still played very resiliently, only losing by a minimum to top Asian powers such as South Korea and Iran. The winning rate of approximately 50% in the last two World Cup qualifiers shows that Syrian football is on the right track, after a long period of being eliminated early in the second qualifying round.
2022 witnessed the Syrian team's upheaval with a series of 7 defeats in all competitions, including defeats against "equal" teams such as Oman and Iraq. Coach Hussam Al Sayed then left the chair to make way for Mr. Hector Cuper - one of the most experienced strategists in Argentine football. With 30 years of coaching experience, spanning many continents such as Europe, Asia, America and Africa, Mr. Cuper is once again expected to help Syrian football break through. The 3-1 victory over Thailand in March was an affirmation of the team led by Coach Cuper.
Syria's squad has experienced players, such as goalkeeper Ibrahim Alma (74 caps for the national team) or midfielder Mahmoud Al-Mawas (15 goals in 87 matches for Syria). Attackers such as Mardik Mardikian, Fahd Youssef or Mohammad Al Marmour are also notable with over 30 appearances for the Syrian team. Among them, the versatile midfielder Al-Mawas is the most dangerous name with the ability to coordinate, shoot from long distance and penetrate the penalty area comprehensively.
The Syrian team has a technical but also very muscular style of play.
A difficult problem for Mr. Troussier and his students
In terms of playing style, the Syrian team has a style similar to Iraq, UAE or Oman. The Middle Eastern representative plays football with a lot of technique and directness, taking advantage of the strength and ability of individuals to create breakthroughs to score goals.
In the 3-1 victory over Thailand, Syria showed off their comprehensive attacking power. From wing attacks, aerial battles to central coordination, Mr. Cuper's team played methodically and with style.
In particular, the Syrian team played at a very high intensity and fought fiercely. This was a different style from the Hong Kong team, the opponent that the Vietnamese team had a hard time defeating.
If the Hong Kong team plays a deep defensive game, with only two strikers up front to serve the counter-attacking game, the Syrian team promises to play a more aggressive and diverse attack. This is a challenge for the players' ability to withstand pressure. The Vietnamese team is no stranger to West Asian opponents. In 2016, Vietnam beat Syria 2-0 in a friendly match at My Dinh Stadium. Under coach Park Hang-seo, the Vietnamese team also met many representatives from the Gulf region such as Iraq, Iran, Jordan, UAE, Oman, etc. Whether winning or losing, the team always had a positive performance, causing difficulties for the opponent.
The Vietnamese team has not yet adapted to the new playing style.
However, the past is not a meaningful measure, because the Vietnamese team is being operated by a completely new system of play. The players were confused by the control style of play set by Mr. Troussier, as evidenced by the lack of rhythm in both attack and defense. Against a team that plays fast and strong like Syria, the Vietnamese team must keep a cool head and coordinate the ball better.
In the match on June 15, Mr. Troussier's defense exposed many gaps due to poor coordination, even though they were not under much pressure. Facing the Syrian team, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates had to play very focused, maintain good team distance, compete strongly and take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses.
Faced with a more difficult challenge that requires a better performance, the Vietnamese team needs to raise their playing standards and make more efforts.
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