U.23 Vietnam on high alert: U.23 Cambodia will play offensively!

Although still in the underdog position, U.23 Cambodia will choose a different approach compared to the way U.23 Laos played against U.23 Vietnam.

Challenge for U.23 Vietnam defense

U.23 Vietnam will face U.23 Cambodia at 8:00 p.m. today (July 22), in the final match of Group B of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament.

To enter the semi-finals, U.23 Vietnam only needs 1 point. Or in case U.23 Thailand does not lose to U.23 Myanmar in Group C, then coach Kim Sang-sik and his team lose by less than 2 goals and will also be in the next round. However, U.23 Vietnam has only one goal. That is to win to affirm the strength of the champion and create a favorable psychological springboard for the semi-finals.

U.23 Vietnam is only one pass away from the semi-finals - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Cambodia U.23 drew 1-1 with Laos U.23 in the opening match, while Laos U.23 lost 0-3 to Vietnam U.23. Looking at it from a "bridging" perspective, it is easy to see that Vietnam U.23 is capable of defeating Cambodia U.23 in a similar way when this opponent is of the same level as Laos U.23. However, football (especially youth football) is not that predictable.

Although equal in skill to U.23 Laos, U.23 Cambodia has a different playing philosophy and approach when facing stronger opponents. The team from the land of pagodas does not retreat deep to defend like U.23 Laos, but chooses to push up the squad to press, putting fierce pressure to win the ball and organize attacks on the opponent's field. U.23 Cambodia also prioritizes deploying the ball in a layered manner in their home field and confidently competes with stronger teams.

6 years ago, when U.23 Cambodia lost 0-4 to U.23 Vietnam at the 2019 SEA Games, coach Felix Dalmas shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper : "Even though we lost, we are still proud because we played our way, with the tactics we set out." That is the philosophy brought by the duo Dalmas and Keisuke Honda (former Japanese player) since 2018, later continued by Koji Gyotoku.

Cambodia U.23 is ready to accept defeat, but will not change its adventurous approach. It seems that in Cambodian football, building a philosophy is more important than results. At the national team level, the Cambodian team played an open game with Vietnam right at Go Dau Stadium in March and almost had a draw. Cambodia U.23 will play the same way, especially when coach Gyotoku's students only have a win to reach the semi-finals.

Two sides of the attacking philosophy

Pushing up the attacking formation helps U.23 Cambodia score more easily, but also leads to the consequence: being more easily punished by counter-attacks.

In the draw with U.23 Laos, U.23 Cambodia pressed forward, leading to a huge gap behind the defense. The U.23 Cambodia defense line often pushed up, leading to a gap of about 35-40 meters behind. This is the "fatal" weakness of Mr. Gyotoku's students. U.23 Laos punished the opponent with fast counter-attacks aimed at the positions of Peter Panthavong and Damoth Thongkhamsavath.

U.23 Vietnam is ready - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

If U.23 Cambodia continues to play openly, U.23 Vietnam will have space to counterattack. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team may have difficulty against the "concrete block" of U.23 Laos, however, against an opponent who is willing to reduce the number of defenders to focus on attacking like U.23 Cambodia, Coach Kim Sang-sik's elite squad will have the advantage.

Of course, U.23 Vietnam must focus more on defense, circulate the ball more smoothly and systematically to break the pressing game of U.23 Cambodia - the opponent will not give up the field like U.23 Laos. However, once they have overcome the pressing layer of U.23 Cambodia, Khuat Van Khang and his teammates will open wide the door to the goal.

The task of winning will put pressure on U.23 Cambodia. Facing a "hot" opponent, U.23 Vietnam needs to calmly maintain the rhythm of play. If they can lure the opponent into a trap, victory will belong to Mr. Kim and his team!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-canh-giac-cao-do-u23-campuchia-se-choi-tan-cong-day-185250722105438606.htm