National team players train ahead of their 2022 World Cup qualification match against Thailand last November. They will gather in September to prepare for the next games. — Photo nld.com.vn

The world of football is preparing for a comeback as social distancing is eased and Vietnam is no exception.

“If there is no change, the national team will begin their training camp in September to prepare for the matches in October and November,” said VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh.

“The will definitely have friendly matches (to test the tactics and line-up). The VFF is contacting partners to invite strong teams to Vietnam who will also have matches with local clubs in this training camp,” Anh said.

Previously, the VFF invited Iraq and Kyrgyzstan to play Vietnam but all the matches were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, Vietnam are on top of Group G in the World Cup qualification with 11 points after five matches.

The team will visit Malaysia in October and a win over the team in second will put coach Park Hang-seo’s contingent on the cusp of reaching the final stage of Asian qualifiers.

The following matches will be against Indonesia at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi and the UAE away, both in November.

Work ongoing for U22s

The World Cup matches come at the same time as Park has to work with his U22 team to prepare to defend their title at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, set to be held in late 2021.

His assistant Kim Han-yoon is expected to take charge of the young squad who will also have an intensive training camp and friendly matches to prepare.

“The U22s will train at the same time as the national team, then they will have the chance to learn from their seniors,” said Anh.

He revealed that in October, the VFF will hold an international U22 event and invite three quality teams to Hanoi. The young sides will also enjoy training camps abroad to sharpen their skills.

Hosting the tournament is an advantage for Vietnam but there will also be obstacles for the coaching staff in this Games.

Next year, most of the players who won Vietnam’s first-ever SEA Games title in 2019 will be over-aged.

Only goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan and star defender Doan Van Hau will still be eligible. 

However, currently, there are only up to 50 players from all V.League 1 clubs that can meet the rule of age, being born before 1999 and few are first-team regulars.

Park has pointed out that clubs in Vietnam prefer to play foreign players than local ones and also prioritise veterans.

Park said that more than once he has asked clubs to give opportunities to youngsters but his calls have fallen on deaf ears.

“It is a big challenge when we want to defend our title,” said Anh.

“But other teams also have the same problem. It is more than one year to the tournament. Then we have to find a solution and choose the best players to keep the crown at home.”  VNS

Scaled-down World Cup qualifiers could aid Vietnam

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