It goes without saying that the AFF Suzuki Cup is definitely the most exciting football tournament in the South East Asian region, and what’s even more fascinating is that we’re just a matter of days before the next one!
Singapore are the reigning champions, after that scintillating triumph over Thailand in 2012, but this time around, things could be significantly different and volatile, as the ASEAN-level tournaments has always proved to be. Well at least one thing is different now, the hosts. Singapore and Vietnam are hosts for this year’s Suzuki Cup, and the Groups have panned out in a rather mindblowing way as well. FourthOfficial.com will be providing unique coverage of the tournament, and to kick it off, we’ll have a look at Group A of the competition, which is made up of hosts Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos
VIETNAM
Manager: Toshiya Miura
Captain: Le Tan Tai
Squad: To Be Announced on the 21st of November
Key Players: Le Tan Tai, Le Cong Vinh, Van Quyet
VERDICT: Under the guidance of Toshiya Miura, Vietnam have adopted fast paced football, and are now playing with plenty of confidence. As depicted in their pivotal 3-1 friendly victory over Malaysia, the Golden Stars’ are capable of finding the back of the net regularly, particularly with a predator in the form of Le Cong Vinh leading their line upfront. The home soil could prove to be a massive advantage, though there are certain defensive concerns that would require proper attention. Toshiya will only announce the full squad on Friday, just one day before the tournament, but either way, expect this Vietnam side to be completely different from the one that was eliminated during the group stages back in 2012.
LAOS
Manager: David Booth
Captain: Visay Phaphouvanin
Squad: Soukthavy Soundala, Seng Athit Somvang, Saynakhonevieng Phommapanya, Khamla Pinkeo, Ketsada Souksavanh, Saychon Khunsamnam, Thenthong Phonsettha, Sengdao Inthilath, Oudomsith Singlatsomboun, Phoutdavy Phommasane, Khonesavanh Sihavong, Keoviengphet Liththideth, Maitee, Phatthana Syvilay, Bounthavy Sipasong, Phoutthasay Khochalern, Vilayout Sayyabounsou, Paseuthsack Souliyavong.Tiny Bounmalay, Khampheng Sayavutthi, Sitthideth Khanthavong, Soukaphone Vongchiengkham.
Key Players: Soukaphone Vongchiengkham, Khampheng Sayavutthi
VERDICT: Laos are definitely the underdogs of Group A, but that should not prevent the other sides from being wary of the threat Laos bring. While they are relatively minnows in terms of footballing capabilities, the Laos squad is one that loves spreading play effectively and usually play with plenty of confidence on the pitch. Bear in the mind, they will not be afraid to take their chances, so the likes of Vietnam and Indonesia will have to be fully focused in dealing with them. David Booth has picked a relatively young squad, with no players over the age of 30, though the inclusion of a 16 year-old teenager in the form of Maitee, did raise some eyebrows. The lack of experience could come to haunt them though, in a competition of this scale.
INDONESIA
Manager: Alfred Riedl
Captain: Firman Utina
Squad: Kurnia Meiga, I Made Wirawan, Dian Agus Prasetyo, Zulkifli Syukur, Supardi Nasir, Victor Igbonefo, Fachruddin, Achmad Jufriyanto, Muhamad Roby, Manahati Lestusen, Rizky Rizaldi Pora, Firman Utina, Evan Dimas, Imanuel Wanggai, Hariono, Raphael Maitimo, Muhammad Ridwan, Ramdani Lestaluhu, Zulham Zamrun, Sergio van Dijk, Cristian Gonzales, Boaz Solossa, Samsul Arif
Key Players: Christian Gonzales, Sergio van Dijk, Firman Utina
VERDICT: Indonesia, despite being South East Asian giants in football, have always struggled to deliver on the international scene, especially in the AFF Suzuki Cup. But this time around, things should at least be a little different. Alfred Riedl knows the region extremely well, having worked with Vietnam and Laos in the past, but besides that, the squad has a fine balance between youth and experience as well. Firman Utina’s role in the side is absolutely indubitable, while Christian Gonzales and Sergio van Dijk are more than capable of pulling the strings upfront. If they click into the right gear, this is a team capable of making it all the way. Whether they do it or not, depends on how they perform in the opening match against Vietnam.
PHILIPPINES
Manager: Thomas Dooley
Captain: Rob Gier
Squad: Patrick Deyto, Tomas Trigo, Rob Gier, Juani Guirado, Daisuke Sato, Amani Aguinaldo, Simone Rota, Curt Dizon, James Younghusband, Simon Greatwich, Chris Greatwich, Martin Steuble, Paul Mulders, Misagh Bahadoran, Manny Ott, Patrick Reichelt, Jerry Lucena, Dennis Villanu, Phil Younghusband, Kenshiro Daniels, Mark Hartmann
Key Players: James Younghusband, Phil Younghusband, Rob Gier
VERDICT: The Azkals are certainly looking to go gung ho this year, and many wouldn’t entirely doubt them either. They have had issues with consistencies in the past but there’s two things that need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, they have made the semis of the last two AFF Suzuki Cup competitions, despite being underdogs in both of them. Secondly, the Azkals haven’t exactly been in top form of late. So while an appearance in the final would be something they would want to achieve, those two things suggests that another semi finals appearance could be the more realistic goal. But the focus for now, would definitely be the group stages, where they will be required to manoeuver past Indonesia and Vietnam.
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