Nguyen Xuan Son Detonator
Naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son made his debut for the Vietnam national team in the match against Myanmar in the final round of the group stage but made a strong impression. He contributed 2 goals and 2 assists, helping the team win 5-0. His performance attracted special attention from domestic and regional media.
Xuan Son's presence partly solves the problem of coach Kim Sang-sik's attack. The 27-year-old striker's speed, pressing ability, and tactical thinking are very useful for the Vietnamese team, especially against teams with large defenses like Singapore.
When the opponent is deep in the lineup, the Vietnamese team needs more innovation and precision. This is the time when Xuan Son, Vi Hao, and Tien Linh must take advantage of opportunities to break the deadlock.
The Threat from Shawal Anuar
Muhammad Shawal Anuar is a prominent name on the Singapore team when he scored 4 goals after 4 matches in the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2024. The veteran born in 1991 is also temporarily leading the list of top scorers of the tournament.
It is worth mentioning that in the last 4 matches, Shawal has only started twice (against Cambodia and Thailand). In total, he has only been on the field for 206 minutes, achieving an efficiency of 51.5 minutes/goal. His extensive experience helps this striker observe and take advantage of opportunities well.
Thailand's mistakes in the opening minutes of the third match of the group stage were also thoroughly exploited by Shawal. With support from veteran midfielder Faris Ramli, Singapore caused a surprise when they took a two-goal lead over the War Elephants in the first half.
Ball control battle
In recent matches, coach Tsutomu Ogura has often applied a somewhat negative defensive style of play, in order to limit all risks. Winger Nazrul Nazari and attacking midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman have both been arranged to play more defensively.
This tactic has proven effective, as seen in the first half against Malaysia and Thailand in the group stage. Although the opposition tried to increase the pressure, Singapore were largely able to deal with it. On the contrary, they did not have much time on the ball, relying mainly on counter-attacks.
Vietnam needs to take advantage of this weakness to take the initiative. If they have the advantage in ball control, Quang Hai and his teammates will have an easier time pressing and counter-attacking.
