Iran coach cautious ahead of clash with Vietnam
Ahead of their second Asian Cup 2019 Group D match against Vietnam, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has stated that the meeting with the Golden Dragons will not be an easy one for the West Asian representatives.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has warned his players of the danger of Park Hang-seo's Vietnamese side.
Iran produced a perfect start to their continental campaign by thrashing debutants Yemen 5-0 in the opening match on January 7. Queiroz’s troops are considered the odds-on favourites for this year’s championship title. So, it is not surprising that they are much higher rated than the Vietnamese side heading into their important encounter tomorrow.
However, addressing a pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, the Portuguese coach expressed his caution while talking about their Vietnamese opponents. “Playing against such a brilliant opponent as Vietnam, I know it will be a tough game. All the players need to stay ready to fight and play a really good match for the team”.
“We know everyone wants to win, but our opponents are a strong team with quality players. They have the same ambition and target as we do. How they performed in the opening match shows that they are not easy to be bullied,” Queiroz warned his players.
The 65-year-old coach admitted that he had carefully reviewed the friendly match between the Vietnamese team and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at My Dinh Stadium, which ended up in a 1-1 draw, and their Group opener against Iraq, in which Vietnam suffered a 2-3 defeat. “Vietnam deployed an extremely positive playing style with a high level of discipline and concentration. A draw against Iraq would have been a fairer result”.
The Portuguese coach affirms that Iran are now ready both physically and psychologically for the clash with Vietnam.
Queiroz affirmed that Iran are now optimally concentrated on the Saturday clash: “We are now ready for tomorrow’s clash with Vietnam. Actually we do not expect Vietnam to play as they performed against Iraq, but Iran are now ready both physically and psychologically.”
Earlier, former member of the Iranian national team, Mohammad Alavi, warned his home side on the danger of the current generation of players on the Vietnamese side. In an interview granted to Fars News, he spoke highly of the power of Park Hang-seo’s troops. “I watched the match between Iraq and Vietnam. Our opponents are a strong team. The Iranian players need to try their best as in the match with Yemen and must not underestimate their opponents. If we lose focus, we can completely drop three points”.
The meeting between Vietnam and Iran will take place at 6pm (Vietnamese time) on January 12 at Al Nahyan Stadium.
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