Thành Chung: 'Vietnam national team respects Malaysia opponent'

Center-back Nguyễn Thành Chung declared that Vietnam respects Malaysia completely before the ASEAN Cup semifinal. He also spoke up to protect team captain Quang Hải from recent criticism and believed the team has made careful preparations for the forthcoming test.

Before the ASEAN Cup semifinal against Malaysia, Thành Chung said that the Vietnam national team's coaching staff is analyzing the opponent, while each player is also proactively preparing for their specific tasks.

"At this point, each player already knows how to handle the situation and has made certain preparations. The coaching staff will also analyze videos, show them to the team, and hold meetings to ensure the best preparation," Thành Chung shared before the afternoon practice on August 10.

When it was confirmed that Malaysia would be the opponent in the semifinal, Thành Chung said that Vietnam's goal remains unchanged. According to the defender, since the team aims for the championship, they must be ready to face and overcome any opponent.

"For me personally, once we set the highest goal, every opponent is the same. The whole team always shows absolute respect for the opponent and gives their best to successfully defend the title," Thành Chung said.

Vietnam has a favorable head-to-head record against Malaysia over the years. However, when asked if winning against this opponent has become a "habit," Thành Chung disagreed with that subjective view.

"Football is a team sport, and you cannot guarantee anything 100% before stepping onto the pitch. That's impossible. We always have the highest spirit and focus to achieve our set goals."

Playing as a center-back, Thành Chung will directly face Malaysia's strikers. However, when asked how he has studied the opponent's forwards, he refused to reveal: "That's my personal preparation, so I'll refrain from sharing."

The Vietnam national team's defense was also questioned about the goal conceded in the match against Cambodia in the group stage. Thành Chung admitted that it was a moment when the team's defensive system lacked concentration.

"No one wants to concede a goal. That was a situation where our system lost focus. But looking back at the whole journey, when individuals come together to form a team, I don't think it's a big issue. The most important thing is that we still achieved our highest goal," Thành Chung assessed.

After the group stage ended, coach Kim Sang Sik continued to have discussions with his players. Thành Chung revealed that the exchange between the coaching staff and players actually happens regularly, both before and after each match.

"Not only after the group stage, we always receive feedback from the coach before and after every match, regardless of the result. The players get great encouragement from the coaching staff."

One of the notable issues that Thành Chung mentioned is the pressure Quang Hải has faced recently. The Vietnam defender spoke up to protect his teammate and argued that Quang Hải's contributions should be fairly recognized.

"I think people should acknowledge him, that's the first thing. Quang Hải is a player that, for us, the coaching staff, and those who truly love football and have followed Quang Hải for a long time, everyone always recognizes him."

According to Thành Chung, facing criticism is also part of the pressure that great players have to endure.

"In a big team, there are always players who receive a lot of criticism, but that's what makes them big players. I believe Quang Hải, like any other player, will overcome it. We almost don't pay attention to those negative comments."

After the group stage, the Vietnamese players also had a short break before returning to training. Thành Chung said he took advantage of this precious time to be with his family.

"I definitely spend time with my family. The players all have families and private time, so that break is very valuable. We can relax with our families, rest, and then come back to training and playing."

Another challenge awaiting the Vietnam team is the pressure from Malaysian fans. Thành Chung believes that playing under high pressure is not unfamiliar to the Vietnamese players.

"We have faced a lot of pressure and experienced many matches. Pressure has many aspects, and each person has different thoughts. Therefore, we will prepare and equip ourselves to step into the match," Thành Chung affirmed.

Ahead of the clash with Malaysia, Thành Chung's message also reflects the common view of the Vietnam team: respect the opponent but not fear them. Past head-to-head records are not a guarantee for the result in the semifinal.

Coach Kim Sang Sik and his players are focused on analyzing Malaysia, preparing technically and mentally to aim for passing the semifinal, thereby taking another step on the journey to defend the ASEAN Cup title.

According to the plan, the team continues daily training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. The team will depart for Malaysia on August 13 and have two additional training sessions in Kuala Lumpur before the first leg of the semifinal against the host team.