(Dan Tri) – Sharing with Dan Tri, former coach of the Thai national team, Mano Polking, commented that the Vietnamese national team has many opportunities to win the AFF Cup 2024, in which striker Xuan Son plays a decisive role in the match.
The second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final will take place at 20pm tonight (Sunday, 5/1) at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok (Thailand), Dan Tri will broadcast this match online. The last coach to win this tournament was Mr. Mano Polking (German of Brazilian origin).
Coach Mano Polking is leading the Police Football Club. Ha Noi (CAHN), before that, this coach with dual German and Brazilian nationality had twice defeated the Vietnamese team, in the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020 and the final of the AFF Cup 2022. In both of the above times, coach Mano Polking led the Thai team.
Mr. Polking is the person who most recently helped Thailand win the AFF Cup, not just once but twice. Therefore, Coach Mano Polking understands Thai football and Thai players very well. This morning (5/1), just a few hours before the second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final, Mr. Mano Polking spoke with reporters Dan Tri.
Coach Mano Polking won the AFF Cup twice in the most recent tournaments of 2 and 2020, when leading the Thai team (Photo: Manh Quan).
What do you think about the second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final, which will take place tonight between Vietnam and Thailand, will there be any changes compared to the first leg a few days ago?
– The Thai team will have changes, their starting lineup will likely be different from the first leg. A few days ago they lost on the field of the Vietnamese team, so they will use a different lineup to aim for a different result.
I think the Thai team in this second leg will be stronger than they were in the first leg, mainly because they have learned from the mistakes they made a few days ago.
Thailand will change the starting lineup compared to the first leg (Photo: Tien Tuan).
Don’t forget that Thailand has home advantage when playing at Rajamangala Stadium. Playing on this field, Thailand always has a large number of fans (Rajamangala Stadium has a capacity of nearly 52.000 people). Therefore, the second leg of the final will be a very difficult match for the Vietnamese team.
And how will the Vietnamese team cope with a strong Thai team that also has home field advantage in the second leg of the final?
– If the Vietnamese team keeps playing like they did in the first leg of the final at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho), the team of coach Kim Sang Sik (Korean) can win.
It was a tight but not too passive style of play, quick in attacking situations, and at the same time taking advantage of the opportunities created by the Vietnamese team like in the first leg.
The Vietnamese team needs to play similarly to the first leg of the final (Photo: Tien Tuan).
Does that mean that defensive counter-attacking is not necessarily the best way for the Vietnamese team to aim for victory against Thailand?
– Defensive counter-attacking is certainly a good way for the Vietnamese team to control this match. But the above-mentioned style of play should only be used at certain times, depending on the development of the match.
Don’t just play defense, don’t just play offense against Thailand. You need to defend well, but you should also attack when necessary, even though you may not have much time to attack.
If the Vietnamese team only focuses on defense, if you drop your formation low, it will be very dangerous for you against the Thai team that has many good midfielders and strikers. Of course, that is just my personal opinion.
Thailand will send people to “capture and kill” Xuan Son (Photo: Manh Quan).
Another point that is likely to happen in the second leg of the final is that Thailand will try to block striker Nguyen Xuan Son of the Vietnamese team. How do you rate Xuan Son, who you have long been familiar with as Rafaelson in the V-League?
– He is a good striker, both technical and strong. Honestly, it is very difficult to “stop” Nguyen Xuan Son at the present stage.
It is very difficult to control him when Nguyen Xuan Son is in good form, for the reasons I have mentioned. A striker who is both physically strong and technically gifted, and is in good form, always causes a lot of trouble for defenders.
Which player do you think Thailand will send to control Xuan Son in the second leg of the final tonight?
– I think the Thai team will assign the task of “guarding” Xuan Son to central defender Jonathan Khemdee. This is a central defender with good physique (1m90), strong in the disputes. Jonathan Khemdee did not play in the first leg of the final a few days ago.
The Thai team will assign Khemdee the task of keeping a tight grip on Xuan Son. This is also one of the notable changes in Thailand’s starting lineup for the second leg of the final at Rajamangala Stadium tonight.
Thank you for the interview and we wish you a successful journey with your team in the 2024-2025 season!
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan: “Be proactive in controlling the ball, avoid mistakes in defense”
“I believe that coach Kim Sang Sik has a suitable strategy against Thailand in the second leg of the final. Mr. Kim will let the whole team play carefully and tightly. Don’t forget, time is on the side of the Vietnamese team. At the very least, coach Kim Sang Sik will not let the Vietnamese team concede the first goal.
The Vietnamese team must limit mistakes in simple situations. Mistakes like the header that sent the ball straight into the home team’s 16m50 area that Khuat Van Khang made in the match against the Philippines in the group stage. If mistakes like this appeared against Thailand, the Vietnamese team’s goal would be seriously threatened, because Thailand finished very well.
The Vietnamese team’s defense is improving. We currently have a very good pair of central defenders Nguyen Thanh Chung and Bui Tien Dung. They play calmly, composedly, and read situations quickly. They compete well and support their teammates well.”
Dantri.com.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-mano-polking-thai-lan-khong-de-dang-khoa-chat-xuan-son-20250105124440661.htm