Ignore all intimidation
Vietnam head into the second leg, with a comfortable 2-1 lead, meaning that Malaysia will have to fire at least two goals to stand any chance of making it through. Toshiya Miura’s men will definitely be looking to capitalize on that desperation by keeping it simple and straightforward, and time-wasting will be a predominant element. But this is where things could get ugly for Malaysia. Several names showed glimpses of their temper towards the end of the first leg last weekend, allowing frustration to get the better of them, but at the same time, making themselves vulnerable to severe decisions from the referee. The Tigers cannot risk going one man down, and thus, they will need to ignore every single intimidation and keep their head focused on the actual mission within the game.
Keep Nguyen Van Quyet at bay
As much as we’d like to think that football is a team sport, there is no denying the fact that certain individuals can have a bigger influence in teams, and that is certainly the case with Vietnam’s performance against Malaysia in the first leg. Malaysia allowed Nguyen Van Quyet too much of space in the middle of the park, which allowed the Golden Stars to dominate the tempo. Van Quyet is tremendously skillful on the ball, but he has an exceptional eye in terms of picking passes. Most of Vietnam’s attacks over the weekend, was channeled through him, and the playmaker even netted Vietnam’s second goal of the night. With Vu Minh Tuan set to return to the line-up after serving his suspension, there will be more options for Van Quyet to distribute his passes to, and unless Malaysia find a way to nullify his threat, Vietnam could once again, dominate proceedings.
Score a goal within the first 20 minutes
While Vietnam will be happy to sit back and keep it simple, they will also be looking to score and send their home fans into raptures. But they will be looking to do so via counter attacks, meaning that the longer Malaysia go without scoring, the easier it becomes for Vietnam to hit back. But if Dollah’s men can find a goal within the first 20 minutes, it shifts the entire dynamics of the game, and will alert Vietnam to shift their stance and reasonably attack as well. That should allow Malaysia a little more space to operate and maximize the usage of pace within the team, particularly Azamuddin Akil and potentially Kunanlan, if he starts. We’re not exactly the best in operating with a pressing game, considering the inability of our players to consistently retain possession. But scoring one within the first 20 minutes, will give us the much-needed impetus to go on and threaten Vietnam for the remaining 70 minutes.
Pack the midfield
It may sound counter-intuitive since we need goals at the moment, but with the pace and technical ability possessed by the Vietnamese players, its pivotal we win the midfield battle. Last time out, that was precisely where we lost the game, losing control of the ball in the middle of the park, with Safiq and Hafiz being caught out of position way too often. That needs to be avoided at all cost. A midfield trio of Safiq-Gary-Hafiz/Piya sounds relatively solid, meaning that we get more bodies in the middle of the park to not only control the tempo, but also effectively stop Vietnamese attacks in numbers. This will also allow Safiq to operate much higher on the field, where he is usually effective in providing killer through balls.
Keep it simple and straightforward
Watch the last 20 minutes of the first leg, and notice how Malaysia started getting desperate by pumping in long balls into the Vietnamese half and box, more often than not, without a clear intention as well. Dollah needs to snap his players out of this. If there’s one thing Vietnam are good at, is using their control effectively. Their tactical awareness on the pitch is excellent, so they know exactly what they want to achieve, when they seize control of possession. The only way to deal with such an opposition is to do the exact same thing; keeping it simple. Long balls with specific purposes are fine, but it gets out of hand when they are launched forward without any idea of the end goal. Amri will be returning to the line up, and should start on the flanks. Azamuddin will most likely be the other flanker. These are players who can be incisive with the ball, but they also need the midfielders and forwards to rise and be equally confident of the game plan as well.
Other posts by Keeshaanan Sundaresan
