Malaysia's 'weak spot' exposed, how can Vietnam exploit it to win?

Malaysia has home field advantage and a squad of naturalized stars, but there are still weaknesses that the Vietnamese team can exploit in the "final" of Group F, the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

After 11 years without a win in any confrontation, Malaysia is doing everything to defeat the Vietnamese team in the first leg of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, at 8:00 p.m. on June 10 at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Just a few days before the match, Malaysia welcomed a series of naturalized players such as Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado (of Argentine origin), Joao Figueiredo (of Brazilian origin) and Jon Irazabal (of Spanish origin). Thus, the "Tigers" can field a lineup of all naturalized players in the match against the Vietnamese team.

“When they face Vietnam on Tuesday night, the naturalized players from around the world will be on the same page. They will show team spirit and get used to each other’s style,” wrote Malaysia’s New Straits Times.

Malaysia has many naturalized players but also has many weaknesses. Photo: FAM

However, Malaysian fans are worried because the national team has revealed its "weakness" from using many naturalized players. In the friendly match on June 3, Malaysia lost 0-3 to Cape Verde, despite previously holding the world's 76th ranked team to a draw in the "first leg".

Coach Peter Cklamovski expressed his disappointment because Malaysia had many problems. The Australian coach admitted that some Malaysian players had not played for a long time, besides the fact that the naturalized players had not connected with their teammates and had not played well. Most of these players were playing abroad and had only had a few days to get to know each other in the national team.

However, the Malaysian captain still encouraged his players, saying: "We will learn how to play better, so that we can prepare well for the upcoming match against the Vietnamese team."

Vietnamese players carefully research Malaysia. Photo: Ho Hai Hoang

Malaysia's defeat was certainly carefully studied by coach Kim Sang Sik and his team. The captain of the Vietnamese team commented: "According to the information we have, Malaysia has about 8-10 new naturalized players compared to the last tournament, causing many difficulties in analyzing the opponent's tactics.

We continue to monitor and analyze to have the best preparation. The players are all trying their best to be ready for the away match on June 10th."

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent helps the Vietnamese team prepare the best tactics. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team is cautious when facing a team with many naturalized players, but is also ready to surprise the Malaysian stars.

V-League foreign player gives advice to Malaysia

Malaysian international Endrick dos Santos, who plays in the V-League for Ho Chi Minh City FC, said: "Vietnamese players are fast, strong and very athletic. They play fiercely but also have weaknesses. I believe Malaysia can exploit the weaknesses of the Vietnamese team."

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/malaysia-lo-diem-yeu-tuyen-viet-nam-khai-thac-the-nao-de-thang-2409222.html