This afternoon (January 1), coach Kim Sang-sik of the Vietnamese team and Ishii Masatada of the Thai team attended a press conference before the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final.
According to the schedule, the first leg final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. on January 2, 2025 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). After that, the two teams will move to Thailand to compete in the second leg final at 8:00 p.m. on January 5, 2025 at Rajamangala Stadium.
11:02: Coach Ishii Masatada and player Peeradon answer the press.
Reporter: How has the Thai team prepared for the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final?
Coach Ishii: First of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy new year. In the upcoming final, we will face a strong team, Vietnam. Previously, in the semi-finals, Thailand lost 1 match to the Philippines, so we hope to win the next 2 matches.
Reporter: How do you evaluate the current Vietnam team compared to the friendly match in September and who are the important players for Vietnam?
Coach Ishii: I don't make comparisons because the Vietnamese team itself has made progress and changed personnel in the squad. The most important player in the Vietnamese squad could be Nguyen Xuan Son (number 12).
Reporter: There is information that after the match against the Philippines, player Suphanat had to be hospitalized. So how is his condition now?
Coach Ishii: Not only Suphanat, but also the Thai team has other players with injury problems. I myself will work with the coaching staff to help the players have the best physical condition for the next two matches.
Player Peeradon: I think the Vietnamese team has better defensive organization compared to the previous 2 years. Meanwhile, spirit is Thailand's strong point in this tournament.
Reporter: How will Thailand deal with this situation to prevent Xuan Son from scoring?
Coach Ishii: After the semi-finals, we have to play away in the first leg of the final, I personally want the team to have the best possible result, or a victory. I will not share how we will deal with Xuan Son because this is a team secret.
Peeradon: I think Ngoc Tan (25), Hoang Duc (14) and Quang Hai (19) are players who coordinate well and are key players for Vietnam in recent matches. Hopefully tomorrow the two teams will have their best performance and bring a good match.
11:25: Thailand ends press conference.
11:28: Coach Kim Sang-sik and player Xuan Manh answer the press.
Reporter: What do you think about the match against Thailand tomorrow?
Coach Kim Sang-sik: Happy New Year everyone, thank you for being here to support the team. For me, the Thai team is a big mountain, but I think there is no mountain that cannot be overcome. I hope the players will have a good performance in the upcoming match.
Player Xuan Manh: The Vietnamese team spent 10 days training in Korea very hard and achieved the goal of playing in the final with good results. The Thai team is a strong opponent, we have also faced them for many years. I myself set the goal of going on the field to win. We will listen to the coach's tactics and strategies to have favorable results.
Reporter: The Thailand-Vietnam match is considered a "Southeast Asian derby", but is it also considered an "East Asian derby" when a Japanese and Korean coach face each other?
Coach Kim Sang-sik: I know that, so tomorrow's match will be a very difficult encounter. However, we defeated Singapore in the semi-finals (a team led by a Japanese coach - PV), from that basis, the Vietnamese team expects to have a good match against Thailand, also led by a Japanese coach.
Reporter: Is Xuan Manh afraid of Thailand?
Player Xuan Manh: I don't look at the past, I only focus on the present and look towards the future. The whole team will play their best under the direction of the coaching staff. The team will try their best to start the new year for better Vietnamese football. Coach Kim Sang-sik told us three things, one is to be champion, two is to be champion and three is also to be champion.
Reporter: What is the motivation for the upcoming match? Thailand had a long match in the semi-finals, is this an advantage?
Coach Kim Sang-sik: I have had many experiences in reaching the final as a coach. At this time, as the head coach of Vietnam, it is my honor and the players are ready. For the fans, we try to win to give them a gift in the new year. Thailand has a long match against the Philippines, then moves to Vietnam, so the players are more or less affected. This gives the Vietnamese team confidence for tomorrow's match.
Reporter: Are we afraid of Thailand?
Coach Kim Sang-sik: All that information is in the past. Right now, we are focusing on the present, the players are mentally prepared and ready. Yesterday, I told the players to win, win, win. The players and I are trying to do well in tomorrow's match.
Reporter: In recent matches, you have rotated the goalkeeper position quite a lot and it is rare for any coach to do so. Is there any concern in choosing a goalkeeper for the Vietnam team?
Coach Kim Sang-sik: All 26 players are ready for the tournament, from the first match to the final we have made adjustments to bring good results. As for Dinh Trieu and Filip Nguyen, they are both excellent goalkeepers. Filip is a good professional, but in this tournament, I consider the advantage of communicating in Vietnamese and Dinh Trieu actually has better communication skills. I have discussed with the goalkeeper coach about using goalkeepers. At this time, the players have had a rest and are well prepared for tomorrow's match.
11:50: Vietnam ends press conference.
