ESPN 'tells' U23 Vietnam how to deal with opponent Philippines

The first strength of the U23 Philippines is that they have a few outstanding individuals who can turn the tide of a match. “Otu Banatao is having an excellent tournament. He scored both goals to help his team win against Malaysia. In addition, the Philippines are also thriving thanks to Javier Mariona. This player is really dynamic in the center position, bringing a lot of strength in both defense and attack.

However, their most outstanding player is probably goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes. He has played excellently in the last 3 matches. Nicholas Guimaraes' stability and tenacity help the Philippines gain confidence when deploying a defensive strategy."

However, the opponent of U23 Vietnam is considered to have the least practical experience among the four teams participating in the U23 Southeast Asian semi-finals. ESPN analyzed: "The reality is that the Philippine domestic league has not yet reached the same level as other countries in the region. That reality leads to the fact that their players have not been trained enough to compete at a high level.

U23 Vietnam is considered to have superior experience.

Most of the members of the U23 squad for this tournament play together under the Philippine YNT, the national youth team competing in the Philippine National Championship. They benefit from playing together continuously. On the other hand, they cannot learn from more experienced teammates or foreign stars. This is what many members of the U23 Vietnam squad are experiencing when they play for strong clubs with foreign players.

With those weaknesses, ESPN asked how the Philippines, a team that has never reached the semi-finals of the U23 Southeast Asian tournament, will handle the difficulties when facing the defending champion Vietnam. "It will be interesting to see how the Philippines will perform against a strong team like Vietnam?"

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ live on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn