Vietnam gear up for World Cup

Vietnam U20 coach Hoang Anh Tuan said the upcoming friendly match between his team and Argentina on May 10 will be final rehearsal for the FIFA U20 World Cup in the Republic of Korea between May and June 2017.

“We will play in the way we have prepared. Facing a strong team from South America will be a comprehensive dress rehearsal for the Word Cup,” said Tuan.

“Vietnam have one more friendly match in the RoK but playing against Argentina at home will be a wonderful experience,” Tuan added.

He said the World Cup is a tough competition. If his players don’t get in good physical shape, they will struggle to perform and carry out his tactics.

This is why the team is training very hard in terms of physical fitness.

“I have a headache in terms of the team’s fitness as many players don’t play in the national premier league, while others are overloaded. For example, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai has played many games in the V.League 1 and AFC Cup. He is tired so I have to manage him. Tough physical training will help me eliminate several players before selecting 21 out of 24 players on May 8,” said Tuan.

“At the World Cup, my players have to run and think a lot. France and New Zealand will play at a high speed. We also can’t forget Honduras,” said Tuan.

“Vietnam’s players start from a low football foundation so we have to prepare well. First of all, my footballers must be strong,” Tuan added.

To prepare for the Cup, Vietnam have had a two-week training camp in Germany. They had friendly matches with U21 Roda JC of the Netherland, U23 Borussia Monchengladbach and U19 Fortuna 05 Dusseldorf.

During these matches, Vietnam scored eight goals but he isn’t optimistic.

“I don’t have any illusion that these goals will be goals in the World Cup but I know which players are good or weak and which points to adjust,” said Tuan.

Meanwhile, Argentina coach Claudio Ubeda announced his 21 players coming to Vietnam and taking part in the World Cup. Among them, 19 compete in Argentina, only two play in Europe. There include big names Exequiel Palacios of River Plate, Ezequiel Barco of Independiente, Lautaro Martinez of Racing Club and Marcelo Torres of Boca Juniors.

Argentina will arrive in HCM City on May 8. They will meet U20 Vietnam on May 10 and then face the U22 team two days later.

At the World Cup, Argentina are in Group A with hosts South Korea, Guinea and England. While Vietnam are in Group E with France, Honduras and New Zealand.

(Source: VNA)