CALISTO: CONG VINH WILL DELIVER
Vietnam national coach Henrique Calisto believes that it will be a matter of time before striker Le Cong Vinh delivers the goods for the national team.
All that Cong Vinh needs is that one goal in the on-going AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 and that will change the game not only for the pacy forward but also for the Vietnam national side eager to win their first ever Asean crown.
“There is no doubt as to his quality – otherwise, he will not be in the national side,” said Calisto of the 23-year-old forward.
“He is a terrific striker but at the moment, I believe that Cong Vinh has a belief issue. He needs to believe and score the goal for Vietnam.
“At this stage of his development, he is going through a rough patch but I think that if he can score that one goal, then it will make all the difference not only to his playing ability but also to the team.”
Touted as the best man to replace former Vietnam great Le Huynh Duc, the performance of Cong Vinh in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 was brought into question this week when he could not even score a single goal in three games.
The majority of Vietnam’s seven goals in Group B were scored by midfielders with Pham Thanh Luong and Nguyen Vu Phong scoring a double each.
But Calisto is not about to press the panic button just yet where as he maintained shortly after Vietnam’s qualification into the semi-finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008, Cong Vinh will still be part of his mainstay.
“I believe in Cong Vinh and as such, there is no reason why I should replace him,” added Calisto.
