Overview of AFF Cup 2024: Vietnam team competes with Thailand and Indonesia

(Dan Tri) - Today (December 8), the AFF Cup 2024 will kick off. The Vietnamese team is on a journey to relieve pressure and meet expectations, while Thailand and Indonesia do not have their strongest squads.

As usual, the tournament is divided into two groups of five teams, each group playing a round-robin format, with each team playing two home and away matches. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout round, consisting of two semi-finals and a final. Group A includes Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor Leste. Group B includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos. Video assistant referee (VAR) technology is also being used for the first time in this tournament, with 10 cameras recording group stage matches and 12 cameras for knockout matches. Looking back, defending champions Thailand are also the most successful team, with seven titles. For the first time, at the 1996 AFF Cup, they defeated Malaysia 1-0 in the final.

The next two titles for the "War Elephants" came consecutively in the 2000 and 2002 tournaments, both of which they defeated Indonesia in the final. Thailand's fourth championship took place at the 2014 AFF Cup, with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Indonesia. Two years later, the Golden Temple team won the championship again after another dramatic battle against Indonesia, with a 3-2 victory. The 6th title for the Thais continued with a victory over Indonesia in the final, with a total score of 6-2 at the 2020 AFF Cup. In the most recent tournament two years ago, Thailand defeated the Vietnamese team 3-2 in the final to win the Southeast Asian championship for the 7th time. Apart from Thailand, the other 3 countries that have won the Southeast Asian championship are Singapore (4 times: 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012), Vietnam (2 times: 2008, 2018), Malaysia (1 time: 2010). Meanwhile, Indonesia is the "Second Runner-up King" with 6 defeats in the final (2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2016). The 2024 AFF Cup promises to be an unpredictable tournament because the balance of power of the championship candidates is quite even, and many teams can even be considered unknowns.

The Thai national team has announced the list of 26 players participating in the AFF Cup 2024. As expected, some prominent faces of Thai football are not on the list. With the Thai League continuing to take place in December due to some postponed matches and the AFF Cup not falling within the FIFA Days time frame, it means that the club is not obliged to release players to return to national duty. Of course, there is no conflict between the club and the national team, because there was a previous agreement. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) did not call up any players from BG Pathum United and Muangthong United. Most notably, captain Chanathip Songkrasin, one of the top stars of Southeast Asian football in the past 10 years. Veteran striker Teerasil Dangda, who is 36 years old but is still a fear for every defense in the region, could not participate. Next up is Theerathon Bunmathan, a left-back who has transformed into a deep-lying playmaker of very high quality. In addition to the three names mentioned above, Sarach Yooyen, Kritsada Kaman and Supachai Jaided are all other notable absentees. However, that does not mean that the team that has won the Southeast Asian championship 7 times can be underestimated. In the current squad, Thailand still possesses bright, potential stars, promising to bring surprises despite facing many challenges.

With the presence of Supachok Sarachat and Ekanit Panya, Thailand has a duo playing in Japan's top league (J.League). Supachok is a mainstay of Consadole Sapporo, while Ekanit is gaining valuable experience at Urawa Red Diamonds, a prestigious club in the history of Asian football. Not only that, Suphanat Mueanta, Supachok's younger brother, also returned to the squad after just finishing his time playing in the Belgian national championship (VĐQG) with OH Leuven. Although his journey in Europe is not complete, Suphanat is still a formidable talent. At the age of 16, he once caused a stir with the record of the youngest player to score in the Thai League, AFC Champions League. On the international stage, Suphanat has scored against big teams such as Korea and UAE. With the determination to prove his ability, he will certainly be a notable name in this tournament. In midfield, Thailand has a combination of experience and youth with familiar names such as Weerathep Pomphan, Worachit Kanitsribampen, Peeradon Chamratsamee. In addition, Seksan Ratree, a young talent from Buriram United, is also a promising face who can create explosive moments if given the opportunity. However, the biggest problem for the Thai team may lie in defense. Apart from veteran center-back Pansa Hemviboon, most of the remaining defenders have less than 10 appearances for the national team. In the goalkeeper position, Patiwat Khammai, although he has affirmed his talent from this year's Asian Cup, has only had 16 appearances at the international level.

However, experience is not a big problem for Thailand. History shows that Thai football has never lacked talent. This tournament could be an opportunity for new names to assert themselves and establish their positions in the national team. The absence of some key players is certainly a loss, but this could also be a golden time to experiment and develop the force, especially when the Thai team is aiming for a bigger goal: winning a ticket to the Asian Cup next year. However, Thailand's chances in this tournament should not be underestimated. They are always a strong candidate for the throne, ready to continue writing history with another AFF Cup championship. Transfer or continued success? The answer will be on the pitch.

Indonesia will participate in the AFF Cup 2024 with a mainly young squad, mostly U22 players, instead of the squad that is competing successfully in the World Cup qualifiers. Only a few national players have been called up, including Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar, Pratama Arhan, Marselino Ferdinan. Coincidentally, all three have experience playing abroad. Asnawi used to play in Thailand for Port FC, Arhan played for Suwon FC in Korea, and Marselino went the furthest, to Oxford United (England). This trio also has a lot of experience in the national team. Marselino is the youngest but has also played 32 times for Garuda. Meanwhile, Asnawi (46 times) and Arhan (50 times) are also the spiritual support for the young players in this year's tournament. On the contrary, most of the Indonesian players at the AFF Cup 2024 are new to the national team, most of them have just grown up from the U17 or U20 team. Therefore, Garuda is not highly appreciated. However, coach Shin Tae Yong is not discouraged because of that. The Korean strategist still sets the goal of reaching the final.

In addition, Mr. Shin emphasized the physical factor. The vitality of young players, the relaxed mentality because there is no pressure to achieve results, and the excitement that Indonesian football is having will help this team not fear any opponent. It should be emphasized that the archipelago always produces many bright young talents. In the last two AFF Cups, the title of "Best Young Player of the Tournament" has always been awarded to Indonesian football prodigies: Pratama Arhan in 2020 and Marselino in 2022. Therefore, it is possible that Indonesia will continue to introduce new stars in the upcoming tournament. The most anticipated name is Arkhan Kaka. Like Pratama Arhan and Marselino Ferdinan, Arkhan will participate in the AFF Cup before he turns 18. Arkhan also has great talent like Marselino, so he is on the list of young talents in 2024 of The Guardian (UK).

Malaysia is a traditional football team in Southeast Asia, but in recent years, the national team of this country has been somewhat "weak" compared to Thailand, Indonesia and the Vietnam team. Therefore, in the upcoming AFF Cup, fans will hardly expect this team to achieve high results. Like many other teams, Malaysia does not have the strongest force in this tournament because the key players are busy playing for their clubs during the time not included in the official FIFA match schedule. Previously, this problem was not too serious because the Malaysia Super League's match schedule usually takes place throughout the calendar year. However, the tournament's switch to a season model from August to May has led to matches continuing to be held in December, coinciding with the time of the 2024 AFF Cup. This is clearly a big challenge for interim coach Pau Marti, who has just taken on the role of leading the team since July after coach Kim Pan Gon suddenly left the team. Coach Pau Marti needs an impressive performance before leaving Malaysian football. The Spaniard certainly anticipated this situation. That may be the main reason why he decided to experiment with some new faces in the final friendlies against Laos and India last month.

However, the list of 26 players that Pau Marti announced last week still makes many people worried because of their lack of experience. Specifically, there are up to 7 players who have never played for the national team, while 15 other players have only had less than 5 appearances at the international level. For those who regularly follow Malaysian football, most of the names in this squad are quite unfamiliar. Obviously, coach Pau Marti and the Malaysian team are facing a big challenge when entering a major tournament with a young squad and unproven strength. In the list of 26 players participating in the tournament, the most experienced face that coach Pau Marti can rely on is Syafiq Ahmad, who has 40 appearances for the national team. Next is Syamer Kutty Abba, with only one less appearance. Although both have significant skills and experience, the problem lies in the fact that this duo has not regularly played in the first team in recent seasons. Both Syafiq and Syamer were often only substitutes at Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) before being pushed to Kedah Darul Aman and Penang on loan this season. The duo Darren Lok and Dominic Tan are maintaining stable form for Sabah. These are also the two remaining players in the squad with more than 30 caps for the national team, they are expected to play key roles alongside club teammates Stuart Wilkin and Daniel Ting.

The presence of naturalised players Paulo Josue, Endrick and Ezequiel Aguero could also make a difference. Although they have only recently joined the national team, have little international experience and are in the latter stages of their careers, their maturity will help them become pillars in the dressing room. However, there is a worrying fact: the Malaysian team is completely missing the stars of Johor Darul Ta'zim. This is the team that dominates Malaysian football with a 10-time consecutive Malaysia Super League title. Johor Darul Ta'zim only contribute three young players: Daryl Sham, Pavithran and Najmuddin Akmal. Daryl has only played a total of 90 minutes in the Malaysia Super League (MSL) this season, Pavithran has just made his debut for the first team on November 20, and Najmuddin has yet to play for the first team but has impressed at the national U23 level. Another difficult problem for coach Pau Marti is the goalkeeper position. Rahadiazli Rahalim, Kalamullah Al Hafiz and Haziq Nadzli have only played once for the national team, making it difficult to choose a starting goalkeeper. Without players from Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia will clearly have to rely more on new players and naturalized players. Can this young squad overcome the challenge to bring success, or will this be a valuable lesson for coach Pau Marti and his students?!

The Vietnamese team is going through a difficult time after the failed revolution of coach Philippe Troussier. The responsibility of regaining the trust of fans is now assigned to coach Kim Sang Sik. After 6 matches leading the Vietnamese team (excluding practice matches), the achievements of the Korean strategist are not too impressive (1 win, 1 draw, 3 losses). The playing style and personnel have not been clearly defined, however, a fresh, positive breeze is something that can be felt. Coach Kim Sang Sik does not follow the pattern of his predecessor Park Hang Seo, nor does he reform strongly like his predecessor Philippe Troussier. The Korean strategist has his own views on playing style and how to use people. That is a noteworthy point. The results of the training trip to Korea also brought many positive things. Besides the achievement of winning all 3 practice matches, there were hopeful performances from both veteran and rookie players. Most notable is Nguyen Quang Hai, the author of 2 goals. After the failed trip abroad in France, Hai "son"'s performance in the Hanoi Police Club and especially the Vietnam national team has noticeably declined. That is a big loss for the Vietnam national team, because to be fair, this player is still the factor with the most potential to create breakthroughs in the "Golden Star Warriors" squad, if not the only one. When Quang Hai has regained his form and inspiration to play football, with his magical left foot, he can create incredibly magical moments.

Striker Nguyen Tien Linh is another name that has "revived" in the Kim Sang Sik era. Tien Linh has scored regularly for Binh Duong and the national team, with a truly impressive performance (7 goals/7 matches in the V-League and 3 goals/4 matches in the Vietnam national team in 2024). Among the new faces, Doan Ngoc Tan is expected to bring balance to the squad like Do Hung Dung did at his peak. Ngoc Tan's fiery playing style and high intensity have greatly contributed to Thanh Hoa leading the V-League, so it is worth looking forward to at the upcoming AFF Cup. In addition, it is entirely possible that the Vietnam national team will introduce a new pair of full-backs, after a long period of struggling to find personnel. They are Truong Tien Anh and Nguyen Van Vi, two players who are achieving extremely high performance. Other names that have proven their abilities have all had stable performance, from Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Ho Tan Tai in defense or Hoang Duc, Tuan Hai in attack.

Another name worth waiting for is the naturalized player Nguyen Xuan Son (also known as Rafaelson). If Nguyen Xuan Son explodes as he has shown in the V-League, it is clear that stopping the Vietnamese team's attack will be a big challenge for any opponent. Of course, only when the ball rolls will everything be clear. There are still many questions waiting for coach Kim Sang Sil and his team to answer. That is the playing style and the team formation. Where will Quang Hai and Hoang Duc play? Can Nguyen Xuan Son and Tien Linh play together? But confidence is growing, as coach Kim Sang Sik said: "I see the players' skills getting better and better, the team's tactics and techniques have also improved a lot. The Vietnamese players have a very strong passion for football and have a strong will and motivation. I am satisfied with that. The team's goal is to reach the final of the tournament. That is the expectation of all Vietnamese fans, the whole team and myself. To do that, we need to try our best starting from the opening match against Laos, and try to win every match."

Content: Ngoc Trung

Design: Thuy Tien

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tong-quan-aff-cup-2024-tuyen-viet-nam-tranh-hung-voi-thai-lan-indonesia-20241207134355591.htm