Midfielder Bao Khanh (R) will likely help the home team step up its play against the students from the Republic of Korea

The home defeat to Myanmar was a deep cut in Vietnamese football fans’ hearts, so hopes for redemption abound as the team prepares to kick off against the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) junior varsity squad this evening.

Entering the match in the International HCMC Football Tournament 2008, home fans are curious what strategies the Vietnamese coaching staff will employ to avoid another embarrassing loss.

Lineup shuffles

After the 3-2 loss to Myanmar, Vietnam’s team coach Hendrique Calisto blamed the frontline for wasting most of the scoring chances.

It was a partially correct assessment because the midfielders were also to blame for failing to reinforce the team’s attacks.

All through the match, midfielder Tai Em was slow to create opportunities for the strikers. Wingers Thanh Luong, who was replaced by Bao Khanh in the second half, and Tan Tai were not positioned well by the coaching staff. Central midfielder Minh Chau had sparked the team in the first half, but was replaced by Minh Duc in the second half which killed the momentum.

Calisto will be urged to rearrange his midfielders and strikers.

First, he can continue to play striker Viet Thang or Ngoc Thanh alongside Cong Vinh, but neither pairing has had sufficient time to collaborate well in real game situations.

Second, Vinh may play as the sole striker and Midfielder Minh Phuong may be inserted into the starting lineup to fortify attacks from the midfield.

It may be essential for Calisto to put Khanh back to his usual position on the left wing to help the teams with his skillful passing and pressure from that end.

In the backfield, Chi Cong and Van Nhien are inexperienced and don’t protect the goalkeeper very well. Nhien’s poor positioning that led to the first goal for Myanmar on Wednesday was similar to the mistake he made in the loss to Japan in the Asian Cup last year.

The defense has to toughen up, and the only way would be to place Duc back there.

Tough task

Although the RoK squad lost 3-1 to Turkmenistan on Wednesday, they will prove difficult to beat given their overall performance.

They had attacked frequently and controlled the ball in Turkmenistan’s part of the field for most of the second half, and would have evened the score had some breaks fallen their way.

The junior varsity team is bigger and stronger than the Vietnamese side and has proven to play deftly from the left flank. It would be a safer strategy for the home team to play counterattack, but the war will be won in the midfield area.

If the home team can minimize attacks by keeping close rein on the taller Korean players, the match will be theirs for the taking.

Ultimately, Vietnam is expected to come out of the gate angry and ready to remedy hurt pride, so don’t be surprised if the match proves to be an intense one.

Reported by Quang Tuyen