Prioritizing defense
Coach Ha Hyeok-jun does not want the Laos team to become a "road-throwing" team in the group with the presence of Vietnam, Malaysia and Nepal, in the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
On February 22, the Korean coach went directly to Binh Duong to watch Nguyen Tien Linh - the main striker on the Vietnamese side. In addition, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, Vo Minh Trong and Bui Vi Hao are 3 names that the captain of the Laos team impressed.
Speaking to the Vietnamese press when coming to Binh Duong, Mr. Ha Hyeok-jun said: "The Lao team wants to survey the field, training and competition conditions in Binh Duong. We will meet the Vietnam team on March 25. The number 1 priority of the Laos team in the match against Vietnam is not to let the opponent score. The Vietnam team is very strong. I want the Lao players to be able to play like that. They can do that."
In the meeting at the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Laos team caused the Vietnam team to stall in the first half. It was only after the break that Tien Linh and his teammates were able to drill through the " wall" of the team from the land of a million elephants.
However, the victory of the Vietnamese team was not perfect, because Dinh Trieu's goalkeeper still conceded a goal after a precise penalty kick by captain Bounkong.
This was also the first time in 26 years that Vietnam had conceded a goal against Laos. Saying so shows that the young and energetic team of the Laos team has caused certain difficulties for the Vietnam team. Although at that time, coach Ha Hyeok-jun had only led this team for less than 3 months.
Consolidating the force
After the defeat to Vietnam in the opening match of the ASEAN Cup, the Laos team still stopped early in the end. But the journey of the remaining 3 matches in the group stage showed the progress of the players because of the way Mr. Ha Hyeok-jun built his playing style. Evidence Laos drew 2 consecutive matches against Indonesia and the Philippines, before losing 2-3 to Myanmar.
With the potential from the ASEAN Cup, combined with closely monitoring the Lao national championship in the past 2 months, coach Ha Hyeok-jun has more comprehensive assessments in the selection of forces.
Up to now, this coach has not announced the official list of players of the Laos team. However, according to some sources, Mr. Ha's orientation is to target young players under 25 years old, especially those in the U22 category with the hope of accumulating experience to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.
The core of the Lao team is also focused on Ezra FC - a club that won the Lao championship for the first time in history, such as Damoth Thongkham Savath - Best player in the domestic arena, In addition, Damoth's teammate Peeter Phanthavong also achieved high performance. The 19-year-old striker became the best domestic player in the tournament with 20 goals, 6 goals behind the "Gunners" of the tournament, foreign player Takumu Nishihara.
The coach's priority is the defensive front when meeting Vietnam. The young defenders have been tested at the ASEAN Cup and are in good form - certainly selected for the upcoming training session, sent to Phutthalak Thongsanith (center/Ezra FC/22 years old), Sonevilay Phetviengsy (pside midfielder/Master FC/20 years old), Phousomboun Panyavong (pside midfielder/Lao Army/17 years old), especially the rising star Anantaza Siphongphan (center FC/20 years old).
Interestingly, Mr. Ha has no intention of calling up any overseas Lao players except for Vietnamese midfielder Damoth Thongkham Savath. The cases playing abroad such as Roman Angot (playing in Germany), Theo Kelin (USA), Victor Yovinasak (France) and Billy Ketkeophomphone (France) are not in Mr. Ha's plan. The reason is that they are old and quite obscure in the tournaments they are competing in.
