Looking Through Malaysia's Strengths
Former VFF Vice President Duong Vu Lam commented: "For several years now, the traditional strength of Malaysian football has been physical strength. In particular, the current Malaysian team has naturalized many foreign-born players, making the physical strength of this team even more evident. Malaysian players play with a focus on high balls and long balls, and they often use these passes to "torture" the opponent's physical strength."
Goalkeeper Nguyen Filip and center back Thanh Chung are both very good at playing high balls.
Photo: Independence
However, looking at the current roster of the Vietnamese team, it can be seen that coach Kim Sang-sik has a plan to control Malaysia's strengths. The defense of the team under the Korean coach is not lacking in tall players who are good at playing high balls. Most notable among these are the two "giant" goalkeepers Nguyen Filip (1.92 m) and Tran Trung Kien (1.91 m). Both are very good at controlling high balls.
In particular, goalkeeper Nguyen Filip is in extremely good form. With what he has just shown at the Southeast Asian Cup C1, Nguyen Filip has proven that he is the goalkeeper with the best form on the domestic field at the moment. Against Buriram United (Thailand) in both final matches of the regional tournament on May 14 and 21, Nguyen Filip almost always won against his opponents in high ball situations. He dominated the home team's penalty area very well, controlling most of the crosses from both sides of Buriram United.
Right above the goalkeepers, the Vietnamese team's defense line currently does not lack central defenders with good physique, including Viet Anh (1.84 m), Thanh Binh (1.83 m), Thanh Chung (1.82 m), Duy Manh (1.80 m). These central defenders are no strangers to situations of defending high balls. They are also not afraid when forced to compete with their opponents.
Exploiting the weaknesses of the Malaysian team
Even coach Kim Sang-sik's midfield has made important changes to suit the upcoming match against Malaysia. Mr. Kim has called up three central midfielders with good physical strength to the Vietnam team, including Hoang Duc (1.84 m), Duc Chien (1.81 m) and Minh Khoa (1.76 m). These players are all outstanding in their ball control and one-on-one skills. This shows that coach Kim Sang-sik has considered the need to compete strongly with the Malaysian team right from the midfield, not allowing the opponent to freely put pressure on the Vietnamese team's penalty area.
2 strikers Cong Phuong (10) and Tien Linh are preparing to reunite to face the Malaysian defense.
Photo: Nhu Dat
That is in defense, but in attack, the Vietnamese team can pay attention to the following details. Former VFF Vice President Duong Vu Lam advised: "Although current Malaysian players are tall, they are not as fast or flexible as Vietnamese players, especially in situations where they have to maneuver within a narrow area. This is not difficult to explain. The more foreign players the Malaysian team naturalizes, the less time they have to practice together, so they often ignore short passes, aiming for a simple style of playing with lots of long passes to quickly approach the opponent's goal. Moreover, Malaysian naturalized players are not very skilled, so they are not fast and skillful."
Looking back at coach Kim Sang-sik’s roster, he probably saw the weaknesses of the Malaysian team. The Korean coach called up veteran striker Nguyen Cong Phuong to the national team. This is the type of player who can cause disruption, can disturb the opponent’s defense with his unpredictable and tricky dribbling.
To counter Malaysia’s tall but slow defense, skilled players like Cong Phuong, Quang Hai or Hoang Duc are very important. The dribbling situations or the brilliant handling of the above players can cause chaos in the Malaysian defense, thereby opening up opportunities for the Vietnamese team. So, trust in the personnel choices of coach Kim Sang-sik!
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-dung-kinh-lup-soi-cuc-ky-malaysia-quyet-thang-bang-phuong-an-nong-185250525135406739.htm
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