Yokohama F. Marinos will face Hoang Anh Giain Zarai FC (Vietnam 1st Division) in the first match of the AFC Champions League (ACL) East District Group Stage held on the 16th of this month. Before this battle, the Vietnamese media underestimated the ability of Yokohama F. Marinos.
Yokohama F. Marinos has played 10 games in the Meiji Yasuda Life J1 League this season, showing a decent start with 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. In the ACL group stage, Jeonbuk Hyundai (Korea 1st Division), Sydney FC (Australia 1st Division) and Hoang Anh Giarai FC will be in the same group. It is held intensively in Ho Chi Minh, southern Vietnam, and will play 6 games from 16th this month to 1st next month.
With the opening match with Hoang Anh Giain FC coming up, the Vietnamese media “VOV” has the strength of Yokohama F. Marinos under the heading “How strong are the rivals of Yokohama F. Marinos and HAGL (Hoang Anh Giarai)?” I am doing an analysis.
“VOV” is compared with the member composition of the 2019 season that won the J1 league, “Ange Postecoglou has disappeared and it has become considerably weaker. Koji Miyoshi, Keita Endo, and more recently Daizen Maeda, etc. The core players of Yokohama F. Marinos have all traveled to Europe for several years. With the exception of Ryo Miyaichi, Makinosuke Hatanaka, and Kota Watanabe, there are few experienced Japanese national team players. ” Pointed out.
He continued to criticize the change from Postecoglou to Kevin Muscat, saying, “Compared to the 2019 season (led by Postecoglou), the team’s football style isn’t that beautiful right now.”
And Yokohama F. Marinos explained regarding the key player to break through the group stage, “It depends on the Brazilian player led by Anderson Lopes who has scored 4 goals in the J1 league.” “I brought five Brazilian players to Vietnam, including Anderson Lopes, Leonardo, Marcos Junior, Eubel, and Eduardo, but only three can be appointed in each match,” said the part related to the foreigner quota. We are paying attention to the usage of Director Muscat in Vietnam.
Yokohama F. Marinos and his group will enter Vietnam on the 12th of this month. We are training to get used to the hot and humid climate. Vietnam’s local media may be hoping that Hoang Anh Gia will upset the J1’s most powerful opponent.
