Worry about U.22 Vietnam
The Vietnamese team's championship journey at the AFF Cup 2024 has actually reflected the potential of the current U.22 Vietnam team.
Of the 26 players named by coach Kim Sang-sik for the Southeast Asian tournament, Bui Vi Hao is the only U.22 player who regularly plays, starting in 5 matches (376 minutes in total). Of the remaining 2 U.22 players, Khuat Van Khang started in 3 matches (209 minutes in total), while goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien was not used.
Bui Vi Hao (white shirt) is a rare U.22 player who plays as a starter in the Vietnam national team.
The success of the Vietnamese national team bears the mark of the generation of players born between 1995 and 1998. This generation has shouldered the national football team since 2018, and can wear the national team jersey for at least 2-3 more years. However, the time of transition will come sooner or later. The U.22 generation will follow their seniors, but at this point, the young players are not ready.
That was the conclusion made by coach Kim Sang-sik after observing his players practicing and competing in the training sessions before the AFF Cup. He frankly admitted: "Young Vietnamese players have very few opportunities to compete in the V-League to improve their experience and skills."
Ironically, some young players who are tested in the V-League (mainly playing for HAGL and SLNA) are rarely called up to the national team. Meanwhile, young players rarely get to compete at the top level at the club level. Vi Hao is probably a rare exception that meets both criteria of playing regularly for the national team and the club.
At the AFF Cup 2018, the Vietnamese team won the championship with many U.22 players in the squad such as Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Tran Dinh Trong, Nguyen Tien Linh, Ha Duc Chinh, Doan Van Hau... That is the necessary inheritance of a strong team. The experience of the team was then promoted by the young generation at the SEA Games, with a convincing championship in 2019.
Van Truong used to play for the U.22 team, but has not yet found a place in the club.
With the current fragile succession, Mr. Kim Sang-sik must retrain the younger generation. The difficulty for U.22 Vietnam is that at SEA Games 33, the organizing committee does not allow the use of over-age players. There is no story of the younger generation being guided by their seniors like in SEA Games 30 or 31. The spirit of "self-reliance" must start from now.
Prepare carefully
Coach Kim Sang-sik cannot ask clubs to use young players. Whether or not to use them depends on each team's strategy and the ability of each player. It is also difficult to expect the current U.22 generation to be able to "haste makes waste" and rise to a new level like the older generation.
What Mr. Kim and his students need to do is prepare as best as possible at the national team level. Next March, U.22 Vietnam will travel to China to participate in an international friendly tournament with the participation of 4 U.22 teams, including host U.22 China, U.22 Vietnam and two other quality guest U.22 teams.
From now until December (when the 33rd SEA Games kicks off), U.22 Vietnam has 10 months to prepare. The advantage of U.22 Vietnam is that they can proactively plan their training sessions, not depending on the FIFA Days schedule like the national team in 2025 (because the team plays in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers).
Coach Kim Sang-sik will alternate between the two teams.
Long-term training sessions will help Mr. Kim and his U.22 players understand each other better, similar to what the Vietnamese team had during the training trip to Korea last November. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and the VFF need to allocate reasonable time to still take care of the U.22 team, but need to ensure the achievements of the Vietnamese team with the Asian Cup qualifiers which are not without challenges. That leads to the core point: need a comprehensive plan, along with a large team of assistants to support Mr. Kim in effectively managing both teams.
Finally, the "combing" tactic, letting the Vietnamese team and U.22 practice alternately in the training sessions is the right choice for Mr. Kim to help the players become more mature and confident. The veterans in the team will act as "assistants" to the Korean coach to guide the young players.
The U.23 Asian qualifiers and the SEA Games are both difficult, but it takes hardship to "know the value of stone and gold". U.22 Vietnam had to go through upheavals to become strong enough for the journey in the national team later.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/can-gi-de-u22-viet-nam-cung-hlv-kim-sang-sik-vo-dich-sea-games-33-185250202104347962.htm
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