Just over a week until the grand finale, we’re starting to see the weak from the chaff emerge from what has been a tight and competitively contested Round of 16. The typical big four are through, despite several scares and while you could plump for an outsider to buck the trend, a familiar final four looks the likely outcome, question marks withstanding. There was finally a big name elimination however, as Saudi Arabia, qualifiers for last summer’s World Cup were dumped out by Japan, leaving head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi on tenuous ground. In that regard, here’s my look back on the round’s key talking points.
The Player
This was a round for goalkeeping heroics, after Dang Van Lam’s shootout performance saw Vietnam progress to the quarters (more on that later) and Alireza Beiranvand reaffirmed his penalty saving specialist tag by denying Oman’s Ahmed Kano from the spot for Iran. At that juncture, a rumbling debate started to emerge, of who in fact is the best keeper in Asia at the moment? The elephant in the room, one Mat Ryan had been criticised recently for his showings for the Socceroos; despite consistent performances domestically with Brighton, his form so far at the Asian Cup did little to turn around his doubters. His performance against Uzbekistan on Monday however, went someway to silence them.
His triumphant double stop in their penalty shootout victory, spared Australian blushes, after an erratic but ultimately blunt effort against a stubborn in transition Uzbek team. Ryan, when called upon was a colossus in the match, sometimes considered too rash in his early career, his movement and decision making have clearly come on, highlighted perfectly by his early stop to deny the man of the moment Eldor Shomurodov his 5th of the tournament. Ryan’s one handed save to his right to deny Marat Bikmaev in the poignant penalty saved his teammates bacon, who can still savour hope of back-to-back continental titles despite rarely getting going so far.
With regards to the debate over the best keeper in Asia right now, Ryan can easily point to domestic success as his mantle for high achievement. While Beiranvand experienced a whirlwind 2018, where he should’ve really been crowned AFC Player of the Year, he won’t be truly recognised as the continental best until he moves to Europe. Bringing it back to current matters, Ryan’s performance keeps him well within a shout of the Golden Glove reckoning, as Australia build albeit slowly to another lengthy finals appearance.
The Team
Coming up against the surprise package of the tournament thus far in Jordan, Vietnam were considered outsiders for progression, but slowly this side has developed from merely a hipster’s choice of young talented players to a real threat, setting up an almighty clash with Japan in the final eight. For Park Hang-seo, the risk of making a couple of significant starting changes from the side that brought regional success only a month ago, has brought its own reward of a quarter-final appearance, but is this the limit of their adventure in the Emirates?
Deploying their now synonymous, 343-cum-523 counter attacking setup, it hasn’t been the easiest of rides early on for Vietnam; out witted by Iraq on the opening day, in arguably the most attack filled match we’ve seen so far, followed by a humbling defeat to Iran. In the end they scraped through as a lucky loser, overcoming Yemen with little conviction, their days felt numbered. But a renewed sense of purpose occurred against Jordan, where the Vietnam of 2018 vintage, that thrived off these one-off tournament match ups (see Under 23s, Asian Games & Suzuki Cup campaigns) came roaring back from the fire.
The aforementioned Dang Lang Vam has been integral to this; commanding and brave, reaffirming a defence marshalled by Que Ngọc Hai, who has been magnificent over the last few weeks. Further forward and the flexibility and guile of the irrepressible Nguyen Quang Hai and Phan Van Duc behind the lively and ever growing in consistency Nguyen Cong Phuong, Vietnam are starting to look a devastating package in the final third. Up against the Samurai Blue next, the clash of two similar counter attacking displays looks set to be a tense, tactical battle of wits, but one Vietnam will come into in a world of confidence.
The Talking Point
Nearly seven months on from their rude awakening in Moscow, Saudi Arabia hit another low in their recent footballing history, falling in the Round of 16 of the Asian Cup, in what was meant to be a dominant tournament for the Green Falcons. While losing to Japan, on paper is no embarrassment, to exit their time in the Emirates, losing half of their allotted games, only managing to score and secure victory against moderate opposition (Lebanon and North Korea), the campaign as a whole and Juan Antonio Pizzi’s tenure in charge must be considered a failure.
Having bossed over 70% of possession, but succumbing to a 1-0 reversal against Japan, makes for familiar reading for any recent follower of Saudi football. Pizzi’s revolution that started just over a year ago, has been stark, admirable but ultimately unsuited for this group of players. The same issues that were on display at the World Cup, persisted into the Asian Cup; a clumsy looking defence and a regularly blunt attack. The midfield, despite missing the integral Salman Al-Faraj looked as competent as ever (as the possession stats illustrate), the problem as always, was in breaking the lines through to the attacking third.
It’s likely to be a matter of days before Pizzi’s time is cut short, especially after his damning criticism of the league’s standard in the aftermath of the match. For a spell that promised so much, aesthetic gain over gelling tactics with the resource available clearly doesn’t function on the international stage where you’re tasked to get the best out of the players you’ve got to hand. Following on from one of the most successful Saudi Arabian sides of modern times, under Bert van Marwijk, Pizzi failed to take on the feeling harnessed in qualification into two considerable competitions. He was offered more than any others have been previously, in being able to coach at two significant tournaments in succession, something the SFF will likely live to regret.
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