Going home, and another wait - the November with deals to face over

A not-so-fond home return.

Yes, I think we all know what does it mean. In November, a number of these teams will have homecomings, though with mixed feelings, except Iraq and Syria due to internal reasons. Australia bids a homecoming with a lot of emotions after two years of deserting elsewhere. China will come home after wandering for two months abroad. Lebanon will also return home after two years being absent. Yet both teams, no matter their levels, all face the wrath tests. Australia, a giant in the making, has to battle flying high Saudi Arabia. Lebanon's miraculous track is going to face a major big boy, Iran. China seems to be more relaxing, when Oman is its opponent, even though after four games, Oman has proven to be a serious dark-horse.

There are also teams that have played home previously. South Korea will return for an important fixture against three points-hungry UAE, a game which the Koreans are surely holding the edge due to the UAE's poor forms. Vietnam will also go back home, but the mission for Vietnam is increasingly difficult than that of South Korea (already established powerhouse in Asia). Vietnam's entire November is to face two giants: Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about Japan and Saudi Arabia, even those lacking complete understanding in football are not strange to their frequent World Cup appearances, albeit at some limited level. Yet, as much as Japan and Saudi Arabia's squads are fiercely powerful, their performances are stark contrast to each other in this phase.

The first opponent for Vietnam is Japan, the four-time Asian champions. Japan is really a big challenge for any football watchers across the country. Of course, as much as Vietnam has improved, Japan is still a dominant giant in Asia. Yes, the Japanese squad is really formidable, and it is even freaking us out to know that the Japanese are bringing their best men into the game, including the likes of many superstars like Liverpool's Takumi Minamino or Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi. Also I must mention that the Japanese side is led by perhaps the luckiest coach in their own staff: Hajime Moriyasu. He was almost sacked, twice, for Japan's forms in the qualifiers, yet he still managed to survive all time. The importance of this game is pretty much for both sides: there is no turning back, though I expect stronger reaction from Japan than that.

Yet Japan has shown signs of stagnation: it can beat China and Australia; but it can also fail to Oman and Saudi Arabia. Indeed, the most recent Asian Cup meeting in 2019 saw Japan won only by a penalty kick. Anyway, luck doesn't come three times in a row, and Moriyasu wants to ensure Japan is not going to win only by luck (Japan's 2nd goal on its 2-1 home triumph over Australia is done by an own goal from Aziz Behich), thus I expect Japan to unleash full speed in the encounter against Vietnam. However, the composure of the Japanese side is not really as good as we thought over - there is a huge lack in connection between various players and their combination is not that great. Moreover, the way Moriyasu used his players is questionable, as he rather rotates instead of trying to figure out who is the best to handle.

The best example of Japan's struggling all-star side is no other but Minamino, as the Liverpool man has been received with little prospect by the talented coach Jürgen Klopp. Of course, he is just 26, and he still has a future ahead, but with only 37 games for a very competitive club like the Merseyside outfit, this is too little for him to contribute. It is quite painful as Minamino served only as a backup for the likes of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, often to provide passes only. Honestly, I expect Minamino to be Japan's equivalent of Son Heung-min, but he doesn't get his potential unleashed.

Of course, this weakness has been recently exploited, but largely by teams that have long enough experiences in this stage. For a team with its maiden showup to this round, it requires 200% energy to demonstrate. Kind like Turkey facing Germany in Euro 2008 to be frank. Well, it is not quite a correct comparison however, as Vietnam is desperately in need for a maiden point.

However, Saudi Arabia is a bigger concern, at least until the game against Australia. Saudi Arabia is on top of the group with perfect twelve points, and its squad is pretty energetic. Saudi Arabia is bidding for a sixth appearance in the World Cup, unsurprisingly, and this does have something to do with the current method of training by French manager Renard. Of course, the Frenchman's return to Vietnam is also important, because Vietnam is where he began his step on becoming a professional football coach. Indeed, his slip in Vietnam served as a mentor, because at the time he arrived, he was ill-equipped, while Vietnamese football at the same time, had just begun to professionalise. Sound coincidence.

Nearly 20 years later, and he will see it again, this time with another development. He has grown. And so is Vietnam. Renard is now the most successful coach in Africa and has guided another Arab team, Morocco, back to World Cup. Vietnam has grown and is experiencing the final round, the only second team from Southeast Asia to do so. Saudi Arabia is a powerhouse as well, nothing to be discussed from it. The matter is, if Vietnam can do well, there shall be hope.

So what is the expectation of these games Vietnam can deliver? Well, it is depending on circumstances. But low hopes are seen among fans. It's even more specific to mention, considering the shocking rise in cases of COVID-19, made less fans enthusiastic about turning up for the events.

That doesn't mean Vietnam can't do some surprise. Against Japan and Saudi Arabia at home, a massive reconstruction was done to restore the pitch field and to improve the lightning system. A new crop of players were also discovered by the Korean tactician Park himself, after the U-23 team. He will also relinquish control once the U-23 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan ended, which mean it would provide him greater time to concentrate with the senior side.

Oh well, I lack any opinion to make my words for these...