Maybe it will work!

Vietnam team tests left wing

At the 2024 AFF Cup, coach Kim Sang-sik alternated between Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Van Vi on the left flank of the Vietnamese team. Van Vi played 8 matches (4 as a starter, 4 as a substitute), while Van Khang played 4 matches (3 as a starter, 1 as a substitute).

Both played with great effort, with Van Vi becoming one of the players with the most memorable debut, scoring in his first match for the national team. As for Van Khang, at the age of 22, playing in an off-field position, being able to participate in half of the matches for the Vietnam national team is commendable.

Trieu Viet Hung (orange shirt) played for the national team under coach Philippe Troussier in 2023.

Of the two defenders, coach Kim Sang-sik prioritizes Van Vi because he has 6 years of experience playing in the V-League, and has been trained in 3 teams (Ha Tinh, Hanoi, Nam Dinh), so he has good adaptability. Van Vi is also one of the 4 rare players of the Vietnamese team to play all 8 matches at the AFF Cup 2024, although initially, he did not catch the eye of Mr. Kim.

Van Vi's speed, technique, ability to stick to the sidelines and cross the ball in a variety of ways are very suitable for the direct style of play of the Vietnam team. The defender born in 1996 does not play elaborately, but focuses on efficiency. Along with Ngoc Tan, Dinh Trieu and Vi Hao, Van Vi is a new discovery of Mr. Kim, showing that with the right playing style, any player (even the most ordinary) can become the right piece.

However, coach Kim Sang-sik always wants to experiment constantly to increase strength in every position. Van Vi is okay, but coach Kim still needs a plan that can be... even better. Trieu Viet Hung is the next name to be tested.

Speaking of empathy, perhaps in the Vietnam national team, no one understands Viet Hung better than... Van Khang. Both started out as central midfielders, then were pushed to the left wing. Previously, Van Khang played as an attacking midfielder in the U.19 Vietnam team under coach Dinh The Nam. But after Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan took over, Van Khang moved to the wing.

Trieu Viet Hung used to play as a central midfielder before moving to the wing.

Viet Hung is the same. He used to play as a central midfielder at HAGL (2016 - 2021), but when he moved to Hai Phong in 2022, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem decided to let Viet Hung try his hand at the role of a winger, then switched to a winger. Viet Hung has good speed, good jumping ability and skillful dribbling, but can also play in the middle when needed because he has the mindset of a midfielder.

Coach Kim Sang-sik does not need a "worker" who can only run and cross, but needs more tactical thinking, the ability to read the game and choose a position to control the flank well. In the 3-center-back formation, the wing position is the key to success. Viet Hung is a bright candidate that Mr. Kim will thoroughly test until he finds the answer.

What about the right wing?

On the right wing, coach Kim Sang-sik also applied a rotation method with Vu Van Thanh (5 matches) and Truong Tien Anh (4 matches) at the AFF Cup 2024.

Each player has his own strengths, while Van Thanh is strong in attacking ability with the ability to climb the sidelines to support the attack, move into the center to coordinate and shoot from a distance well. On the contrary, Tien Anh is better in defense thanks to his perseverance, diligence like a "perpetual engine", can go up and down tirelessly, ensuring to keep his position for coordination.

The choice of Tien Anh or Van Thanh to start will depend on the situation and the opponent, instead of determining who is better. In this training session, Van Thanh and Tien Anh will continue to compete with each other.

That is the philosophy of coach Kim Sang-sik, always turning flexibly like a multi-faceted Rubik's cube so that opponents cannot grasp it, while changing personnel to ensure that the players have to try their best. Coach Kim's flexible coaching principles will help the Vietnamese team be unpredictable, not only on the wings, but also in the remaining positions on the field.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-phap-hay-cua-thay-kim-o-canh-biet-dau-lai-lam-nen-chuyen-185250308115958787.htm