Coach Hoang Anh Tuan: 'Vietnam is not bored with Indonesia'

*Vietnam - Indonesia: 8pm Saturday, August 26, on MetaSports.

"Vietnam has accomplished its goal of reaching the final. If Indonesia wins tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised because they are a strong opponent and are led by a very good Korean coach. However, saying that is not the case. That means we are afraid of Indonesia. Football is not math, one plus one equals two. Vietnam will respect the opponent and try to play with the best performance," Mr. Tuan said at the noon press conference on August 25. on Rayong Stadium.

The tournament in Thailand is going smoothly with coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his students. After winning all two group stage matches - defeating Laos 4-1 and Philippines 1-0, Vietnam entered the semi-finals and showed strength by crushing Malaysia 4-1.

Vietnam's opponent in the final tomorrow is Indonesia. The team from the land of thousands of islands passed the group stage thanks to a chance to save the second ranked team with the best performance, but shocked the host Thailand 3-1.

When asked about Indonesia's way from observations when watching them play in the semi-finals, Mr. Tuan said it was flexibility. "Indonesia has a good coach and an even and seasoned squad of players. Thanks to that, they change very flexibly, both in terms of tactics and personnel, depending on each opponent but still ensuring efficiency," said the coach. Khanh Hoa explained.

However, Mr. Tuan is also confident that Vietnam is equally flexible. "We also know how to respond appropriately to each opponent. Meeting Indoensia tomorrow, we will play in a different way than against Malaysia yesterday. I believe the team is preparing well for the final," he said. good.

After the semi-final against Thailand, Indonesia suffered a number of personnel losses due to injuries, only 19 players were healthy enough to play. However, Mr. Tuan does not see this as an advantage for Vietnam. "Actually, we can only arrange 11 players to start and replace 5, so for me, 16 players is enough. So I don't think Vietnam has the advantage, because they still have 19 players. Moreover, in the final, the deciding factor is often not the personnel, but directing the coach's tactics from the field," he said.

In the last encounter - the SEA Games 32 men's football semi-final in May, Indonesia, under domestic coach Indra Sjafri, won 3-2 against Vietnam. Most of the Indonesian players participating in the Southeast Asian U23 tournament were present in the match three months ago, and they all considered the 3-2 win as a dose of "mental doping" before meeting Vietnam in the final tomorrow. .

Coach Anh Tuan understands the opponent's mentality, but at the same time does ideological work for Vietnamese players. He said: "I always tell my students that even if they have the same opponent, the previous match will be different, the next match will be different. Indonesia is currently led by coach Shin Tae-yong, and through the victory against Thailand yesterday, I also see them following a different strategy than when they attended the SEA Games. Football is not a repetition. Vietnam still has to focus on its way of playing, keeping the collective spirit of solidarity."

The final match of Southeast Asia U23 between Vietnam and Indonesia will take place at Rayong Stadium, at 8 pm tomorrow, August 26.