Counterattack weapon
Yemen U.23 won 3-0 against Singapore U.23 in the opening match of Group C of the 2024 AFC U.23 Championship qualifiers. At first glance, this is the score of an overwhelming victory, but in fact Singapore U.23 is the better team.
If U.23 Singapore holds the ball a lot and launches massive attacks, U.23 Yemen plays cautiously, retreats to a low formation to defend, then counterattacks thanks to fast runners on both wings.
After the match, coach Miroslav Soukup of U.23 Yemen affirmed that he had analyzed the strengths of U.23 Singapore's flank attacks as well as set pieces, so U.23 Yemen focused its manpower on defense.
U.23 Yemen (white shirt) defends wisely against U.23 Singapore
"Singapore U.23 players are very fast, strong, physically fit and have good physique, so Yemen U.23 must find a way to organize the game to be faster than them, helping our strikers overcome their defenders," Mr. Soukup analyzed.
Mr. Soukup's argument summed up the match of U.23 Yemen. The West Asian team conceded the game, waited for U.23 Singapore to push up their formation, then organized a strong press to regain the ball, then coordinated lightning-fast passes down the two wings to exploit the space behind the U.23 Singapore defenders, who often had to move up to support crosses.
Evaluating the strength of Vietnam U.23's opponents in the Asian U.23 qualifiers: Guam Island, Yemen, Singapore
Against a Singapore U.23 team that was quite inexperienced in tactics, Yemen U.23 easily launched a punishing attack with 3 goals in the last 15 minutes of the first half. Whether starting from the left wing or the center, Yemen U.23's 3 goals all had one thing in common, that is, Coach Soukup's team won the ball from Singapore U.23, circulated quickly with only 2, 3 passes and finished very sharply.
On the U.23 Yemen side, the most dangerous player is captain Ahmed Maher. The player wearing the number 10 jersey plays the role of an attacking midfielder, but is given the opportunity to move freely to connect the play. When U.23 Yemen defends, Maher drops deep as an "anchor" to support ball recovery as well as organize counter-attacks. When U.23 Yemen attacks, Maher exploits the space between the U.23 Singapore defenders to find space to shoot.
Ahmed Maher (number 10) is the number 1 star of U.23 Yemen
In a Yemen U.23 team that is not too outstanding in terms of technique and tactics, Maher is a precious gem. The captain of Yemen U.23 is very fast, skillful and has a very flexible left ankle to finish in difficult positions.
In the goal that increased the score to 3-0, Maher dribbled straight into two U.23 Singapore defenders and then accurately placed the ball to score, despite moving at high speed. The number 10 of U.23 Yemen is especially suitable for counter-attacking tactics, which requires strikers to operate independently and handle the ball neatly. This is a factor that the U.23 Vietnam defense must pay attention to.
Prepare carefully
With the cautious play of U.23 Yemen, U.23 Vietnam will have another match with more possession, playing on the field and organizing continuous attacks. However, the difference between U.23 Yemen and U.23 Guam, the team that lost to U.23 Vietnam 6-0, lies in the ability to organize quick counterattacks when having the ball.
If U.23 Guam is too inexperienced and cannot arrange the formation with the right distance to move the ball up, U.23 Yemen plays sharp counter-attacks thanks to both wings having defenders and midfielders with good technique.
Coach Soukup's team practiced counter-attacks very carefully, and knew how to choose the right time to punish their opponents. All 3 goals scored by U.23 Yemen came when U.23 Singapore was impatient and wanted to push up their formation to score.
U.23 Vietnam needs to concentrate on defense and maintain a good distance to prevent counter-attacks. In the match against U.23 Guam, despite continuously pushing the team forward, U.23 Vietnam still maintained enough players with at least 2 to 3 players in the home field. Maintaining a good distance and covering well is the strength of the team coached by Mr. Philippe Troussier.
U.23 Vietnam needs to seize opportunities
In the match against U.23 Yemen on September 9, U.23 Vietnam will likely continue to play on the wing, exploiting the space behind the opponent's defenders thanks to good penetrating players like Minh Trong and Van Cuong.
However, pushing both defenders up to play offensively against U.23 Yemen is a risky tactic. U.23 Vietnam needs to have solutions to counter-attacks, such as the central midfielders and strikers needing to press promptly, or the wing-backs proactively pushing up to put pressure, breaking the opponent's intentions in the "bud".
U.23 Yemen is not a very strong opponent, but coach Soukup and his team are a team that knows themselves and their opponents, and are willing to retreat deep to wait for counterattacks. Therefore, U.23 Vietnam needs to be alert and persistent, avoiding the temptation to attack. The opening goal is the key factor that if achieved, U.23 Vietnam will break the opponent's counterattack, thereby opening the way to 3 points.
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