Preview : The Best ASEAN Strikers in AFF 2020 Tournament
The 2020 AFF tournament is only a few days away, many teams are already preparing to fight and prepare their respective strategies. One of many weapons that are prepared is to have a deadly striker. Along with the development of football in ASEAN which is increasingly competitive, there are several strikers who are dangerous enough to break into the opponent's goal. Who are they ? below is the review.
Teerasil Dangda (Thailand)
Teerasil Dangda is one of the most dangerous strikers from Thailand. He has experience in Europe with Manchester City and UD Almeria. He also had time to continue his adventure in the J-League with Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shimizu S-Pulse. Although his performances both in Europe and in J-League were less than impressive, but he is respected in the Thailand National Team. His record in national team, he is one of the fertile strikers who are almost close to the all-time top scorer of the AFF tournament, Noh Alam Shah (15 goals). He is just two goals short of equaling the Singaporean striker. Now at 33 years old, he finally returned to Thailand to join BG Pathum United.
Nguyen Tien Linh (Vietnam)
Vietnam is currently the reigning champion of the AFF Cup. To maintain the status of a champion, it is very important to have a reliable striker. One of the prominent players in the Vietnam National Team is Nguyen Tien Linh. The player who comes from the Becamex Binh Duong is the most fertile player for the Vietnam National Team at this time, even though he is still 24 years old. He is quite agile and also strong in heading or aerial duels which are a threat to other ASEAN teams. In the Vietnam National Team, he has recorded 9 goals from 22 appearances. When compared to Nguyen Cong Phuong, the 9 goals he scored must be passed with 42 appearances during his career in the Vietnam National Team.
Bienvenido Maranon (Philippines)
Football in Philippines is currently developing rapidly. This country is known for the number of naturalized players who are quite a lot so that it becomes a mainstay in the Philippines National Team. One of those dangerous players is Bienvenido Maranon. He isn’t young anymore (35 years old). However, he is still the mainstay of the Philippines National Team when his team needs goals. In addition, the naturalized striker from Spain is also all-time top scorer of AFC Cup with 35 goals. It is a note for other teams when dealing with the Philippines National Team.
Guilherme de Paula (Malaysia)
Currently, Malaysia National Team is also actively promoting their naturalized players. One of those players is Guilherme de Paula. Although he hasn’t been able to attract the hearts of Malayan fans, the player who has a height of 1.85 meters is often called up by the current national team. The less impressive record is supported by the facts of 2019. from 41 appearances with Kuala Lumpur City FC, he could only pack 15 goals before he finally moved to Perak FC. But even at his current club, he is still less aggressive. However, the Malaysia coach still brought him for 2020 AFF tournament as he fit the tactics required because he is a striker who is still considered dangerous in the penalty box.
Ezra Walian (Indonesia)
Indonesia's current coach, Shin Tae-yong is trying hard to find a sharp striker on the front lines of the Indonesian National Team. However, most likely coaching team was decided that the main striker who would be trusted to enter the first team was Ezra Walian. The striker who came from the Ajax Amsterdam academy was considered more suited to the coach's scheme and was also considered to be more understanding of instructions than the previous striker. He beat several names such as Dedik Setiawan, Kusheda Yudo and Hanis Saghara who may be the names that will become reserves in the Indonesian National Team. Even though he has only scored a few goals for the national team, he has the opportunity to perform better because Ezra Walian is considered more compact to build a game organization than the previous players.
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