Can Thailand stop them?

Xuan Son is too well-rounded.

Specifically, Nguyen Xuan Son has scored 3 goals with his left foot, 3 goals with his right foot, and 1 goal with his head, in just 4 matches he has played in at the AFF Cup 2024. Nguyen Xuan Son's current scoring rate is 1.75 goals per game, a very high statistic at the national team level.

Xuan Son is experiencing a strong breakthrough.

Graphics: VFF

Xuan Son has scored goals with his left foot, right foot, and head.

Nguyen Xuan Son is dubbed a "goal-scoring monster" by Indonesian media. When opponents think he'll shoot with his right foot, he'll flick the ball to his left foot to finish. Conversely, when opponents try to block his left-footed shots, he'll switch the ball to his right foot and shoot.

Even when the opposing team defended densely, trying to block Xuân Son's shots on goal, he still had another weapon: his heading ability. In the first leg of the final against Thailand on January 2nd, at Việt Trì Stadium ( Phú Thọ ), Xuân Son scored the opening goal for the Vietnamese team with a header. He jumped much higher than the Thai defender and headed the ball powerfully into the net.

The Vietnamese national team 'lands' in Thailand: Xuan Son trains hard, everyone is ready!

Technique, physical strength, physique (1.86 m), and speed are all qualities that Xuan Son possesses. A striker like him has almost surpassed the level of Southeast Asian football. This has also been a headache for the Thai national team in recent days.

How many defenders does Thailand need to mark Xuan Son?

In the first leg of the final, they used a central defensive duo of experienced and physically strong players, Pansa Hemviboon (1.90 m) and Chalermsak Aukkee (1.86 m), plus a left-back with some European ancestry, Nicholas Mickelson (father is Norwegian, mother is Thai), to try and contain Nguyen Xuan Son, but without success.

Nicholas Mickelson even had to leave the field quite early, while Chalermsak Aukkee almost "avoided" Xuan Son's powerful dribble in Vietnam's second goal in the 73rd minute, leading to criticism of Chalermsak Aukkee.

Currently, Thailand's coach Masatada Ishii is considering fielding the imposing center-back Jonathan Khemdee from the start, possibly replacing veteran Pansa Hemviboon. Thailand wants to utilize Khemdee's youth and physique (1.90 m) to limit the physical strength of Nguyen Xuan Son. However, besides physical strength, Xuan Son also possesses technical skill and agility, while Jonathan Khemdee lacks experience in high-pressure international matches and is not as flexible in his movement.

It's a difficult situation for the Thai team. Even more challenging for the home team in the second leg of the final is that if they focus too many players on marking Xuan Son, they will inevitably leave gaps in other positions. This would put Thailand's defense at risk from another angle, as the Vietnamese team doesn't just have Xuan Son ready to score against Thailand.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuan-son-ghi-ban-bang-dau-chan-trai-chan-phai-thai-lan-chan-noi-khong-185250103233631374.htm