On the afternoon of December 25, coach Kim Sang-sik attended a press conference before the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup semi-final against Singapore.
At the beginning, the Korean coach said: "I am very happy to have entered the semi-finals with the Vietnamese team. Everyone is ready to aim for victory. We hope to have a good performance tomorrow."
Assessing the opponent, Mr. Kim Sang-sik said: "Singapore is a strong team. My colleagues and I watched them play live on the field as well as on television. We dissected and analyzed Singapore through two meetings.
The coaching staff and players also discussed tactics during the match, including when to apply high pressure. The whole team will have an official training session to complete all stages before entering the match."
Regarding the personnel and tactics situation, the captain of the Vietnamese team analyzed: "Van Toan's absence after the injury he suffered in the match against Myanmar is an unfortunate loss for the team. I hope he will recover soon.
As for the opponent, I pay attention to Shawal Anuar - who is leading the scoring list in this year's tournament. I have analyzed this player quite a lot, from movement to finishing. Singapore itself also has other powerful attacking options. We need to be careful against Singapore. Hopefully, the Vietnamese team will have a good result against this opponent tomorrow."
In the last match, Nguyen Xuan Son was the outstanding factor of the Vietnamese team. The appearance of this striker helped the "Golden Star Warriors" attack play better and be more dangerous.
"About Xuan Son, he had a very good performance against Myanmar with 2 goals and 2 assists. Of course, after that start, Xuan Son received the attention of opponents, media, fans in Vietnam and also Southeast Asia. That means, pressure from many aspects will also be directed towards Xuan Son.
But I feel he is brave enough to overcome it. Not only Xuan Son, but other players also feel comfortable when the pressure is constant. The important thing is that we are a team. We will all overcome difficulties together and seek positive results," the strategist born in 1976 emphasized.
Before closing the press conference, coach Kim Sang-sik expressed: "This is my first ASEAN Cup and Vietnam has reached the semi-finals. It has been 6 years since Vietnam won the championship. I hope to make a new history for Vietnamese football in this tournament.
The whole team knows that Vietnamese fans have a lot of love for us. This encouragement and love helps the players fight hard and win many victories. Even though tomorrow there won't be many fans at the stadium, we will still try our best for the fans."
