The special character who can help U.17 Vietnam block U.17 Japan is...

Special 'advisor' of U.17 Vietnam

The match against U.17 Japan (10pm on April 7) is the most difficult challenge in the group stage for U.17 Vietnam. The opponent of coach Cristiano Roland and his team is the reigning champion of the tournament, with a squad of well-trained players, good thinking and technique, and a modern playing philosophy.

"The young Japanese players have impressive skills. At many levels, they can play on par with, or even better than, European teams like Germany, France, the Netherlands... not just Asia. It is very difficult to score points against U.17 Japan," expert Doan Minh Xuong, Head of the School Football Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation, told Thanh Nien Newspaper.

U.17 Vietnam played well in the draw with U.17 Australia

PHOTO: VFF

At the 2023 AFC U17 Championship, Japan U17 defeated Vietnam U17 4-0. At the 2016 AFC U16 Championship, Japan U16 won 7-0 against Vietnam U16. At this year's tournament, Japan U17 continues to bring a strong squad. Before thinking about defending the throne, the representative of the land of the rising sun wants to be present in the quarterfinals to ensure a ticket to the World Cup.

Therefore, U.17 Vietnam needs to make a lot of effort if they want to get at least 1 point. Although the goal is difficult, it is still feasible, because besides the increasingly scientific defensive counter-attacking style of play, Coach Roland also has a special "advisor" to learn from. That is Mr. Yukata Ikeuchi, supporting U.17 Vietnam as a technical advisor.

Initially, Mr. Ikeuchi was invited by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to be the head coach of Vietnam U.17. At the time Mr. Ikeuchi signed the contract, Coach Roland moved to lead Da Nang Club. However, Mr. Roland soon left the position and expressed his desire to return to coach Vietnam U.17.

Therefore, VFF decided to keep Mr. Roland as head coach and let Mr. Ikeuchi be a professional advisor.

Why did Mr. Yukata Ikeuchi play an important role in helping U.17 Vietnam defeat U.17 Japan? Because, the 64-year-old expert used to be a lecturer at the Japan Football Association (JFA) and participated in training many generations of young players. He also held the position of Director of the JFA Men's Football Academy and Head Coach of the U.15, U.16, and U.17 teams of Japan.

Expert Yukata Ikeuchi (left) plays the role of advisor for U.17 Vietnam

Mr. Ikeuchi holds an "S" coaching license from the Japan Football Association (JFA) and has held many important positions in the JFA, including JFA Tokai Prefectural Coach, JFA Youth Training Deputy Director, and JFA Youth Training Director.

Advisor Ikeuchi has been involved in Japanese football for 20 years. More than anyone else, the expert born in 1961 understands the strengths and weaknesses in the philosophy of Japanese youth teams, because he is one of the "architects" who built this style of play. One of the factors that prompted VFF to appoint Mr. Ikeuchi is also so that U.17 Vietnam has another "brain" to read the opponent.

Fight and hope

However, not just having a Japanese coach or advisor means... winning against teams from the land of the rising sun.

If the formula for defeating Japanese teams was that simple, there would be no way that this country's football would dominate Asia at so many levels.

After all, no matter how reasonable the tactics are, football is still about the players on the field. U.17 Vietnam has been unbeaten in the last 8 matches thanks to coach Roland's skillful counter-attacking tactics, but it cannot be denied that the players have tried very hard to respond.

U.17 Vietnam has many unknown players, but they always try to show themselves. Hoang Trong Duy Khang's goal from a tight angle, Le Huy Viet Anh's diving saves, or Hoa Xuan Tin's ability to save goals... are the pieces that create a dynamic and unpredictable picture for U.17 Vietnam.

The more they play, the more courageous and resilient Coach Roland's students become. Let's prepare a solid psychological foundation for the upcoming battle. Because whether we win or lose, U.17 Vietnam will receive many lessons to grow up.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhan-vat-dac-biet-co-the-giup-u17-viet-nam-ngang-duong-u17-nhat-ban-do-la-185250405200852818.htm