Only 1 day left, U20 Vietnam will officially enter the journey at the 2023 AFC U20 Championship, with the opening match of Group B against U20 Australia at 5:00 p.m. on March 1.
At this time, U20 Vietnam has set foot in the host country Uzbekistan and completed the final preparations for the 2023 AFC U20 Championship. The challenge is what awaits teachers and coach Hoang Anh Tuan.
Sharing before the first match against U20 Australia, coach Hoang Anh Tuan admitted that U20 Vietnam had difficulties with information about opponents, but affirmed his determination to fight with his students.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan admitted that U20 Vietnam had difficulties at the 2023 AFC U20 Championship (Photo: VFF)
The coach who brought Vietnam U20 to the 2017 U20 World Cup said: “The amount of information we know is not too much because every team at the moment tries to hide their play. For example, the friendly match against Saudi Arabia U20 on February 18, both BHLs agreed not to allowed spectators to enter the field and prohibited filming.
Everyone has a goal in the 2023 AFC U20 Championship, so they all want to avoid revealing their cards. U20 Australia, Qatar, Iran all shuffled personnel to test in friendly matches.
However, the Vietnam U20 team has obtained preliminary overview information thanks to Instat indicators to shape the basic playing style of the opponents. I am still actively adjusting the gameplay for U20 Vietnam. We are ready for the opening match with the goal of getting the first three points.”
U20 Vietnam does not have much information about opponents in Group B (Photo: VFF)
After finishing the training tour in Saudi Arabia and the UAE before the tournament, coach Hoang Anh Tuan closed the list of 23 Vietnamese U20 players to attend the 2023 AFC U20 Championship.
In Uzbekistan, U20 Vietnam had to face the cold down to below 0 degrees Celsius. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and the coaching staff carefully advised the whole team to stay warm to ensure health in the harsh environment.
Besides the weather, another obstacle in the training session of U20 Vietnam is that the quality of the pitch is not really guaranteed. The surface of the field is patchy with many places without grass as well as convexity, the soil is very soft.
Official list of 23 players of Vietnam U20 team:
Goalie: Cao Van Binh, Nguyen Quang Truong, Nguyen Tien Manh.
Defender: Nguyen Bao Long, Nguyen Hong Phuc, Nguyen Duc Anh, Ho Van Cuong, Nguyen Manh Hung, Le Nguyen Hoang, Le Van Ha, Mai Quoc Tu.
Midfielder: Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong, Dinh Xuan Tien, Tran Nam Hai, Nguyen Duc Phu, Thai Ba Dat, Nguyen Duc Viet.
Striker: Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Hoang Minh Tien, Bui Vi Hao.