New Hanoi coach: 'Vietnam has a chance to create a surprise against Japan'

Hanoi At the press conference to introduce Hanoi FC this morning, January 13, coach Daiki Iwamasa said he was excited about the match between Vietnam and Japan at the 2023 Asian Cup.

"The level between Vietnam and Japan is different," said the new coach of Hanoi. "But Vietnam still has a chance to create a surprise, as they played very well in the last match."

At that time, Vietnam under coach Park Hang-seo drew 1-1 with Japan away at Saitama in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. This was Vietnam's best result against Japan, after four consecutive losses. But in tomorrow's encounter on January 14 in Qatar, Vietnam will be missing many quality players who have played for many years, while Japan will have their strongest squad. The fact that some key players are injured certainly does not affect their position. Japan has maintained high form in the last 10 matches, winning all and scoring at least four goals in each match.

Coach Iwamasa Daiki at the press conference to introduce Hanoi FC this morning, January 13. Photo: Minh Dan

As a coach, Mr. Iwamasa is mainly interested in the match to see how the two teams – representing two different football backgrounds – play. He said: "Japanese football is enjoying the results of a long-term vision. I want to see how Vietnam will play with a short-term approach."

Mr. Iwamasa was a former Japanese player from 2009 to 2011, was in the squad for the 2010 World Cup and won the 2011 Asian Cup. At club level, he played for Kashima Antlers from 2004 to 2013, won three consecutive J-League 1 championships in 2007, 2008, 2009 and was in the best squad of the tournament.

Before accepting to lead Hanoi, Mr. Iwamasa was a coach and player of the fifth-ranked team Tokyo United in 2017-2018, then returned to work as an assistant for Kashima Antlers. He then became head coach and helped Kashima Antlers finish fourth in 2022 and fifth in 2023.

Iwamasa is the fourth coach to lead Hanoi FC in the 2023-2024 season, after Montenegro coach Bozidar Bandovic, Le Duc Tuan and Dinh The Nam. The contract is valid until the end of the season with the option to extend if they achieve good results in the V-League and National Cup. Hanoi is currently ranked eighth in the V-League standings with 10 points, nine points behind the top team Nam Dinh .

Mr. Iwamasa said he likes to dominate the opponent, but for now he will watch training sessions to evaluate the players' abilities to choose the right playing style. "Apart from sleeping time, I spend the rest of my time on football," he said. "I like attacking football, so I choose to watch matches of Pep Guardiola or Ange Postecoglu - a coach who came up from the J-League."

In the immediate future, Mr. Iwamasa will have five weeks to work with the new team and participate in a friendly match against Hanoi Police, Indonesian club Bali United and Korean club Daejeon Hana Citizen from January 22 to January 29. His official debut will be on February 18 when he visits Thanh Hoa in round 9 of the 2023-2024 V-League.

Hieu Luong

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