Expert: "Vietnam team plays more diversely without Xuan Son"

The narrow 2-1 victory of the Vietnamese team over Cambodia last night (March 19), at Binh Duong Stadium, may have left some fans unsatisfied. The reason is that Vietnamese fans have long been accustomed to the Vietnamese team often winning big against Cambodia when the two teams face each other.

However, Cambodian football has changed a lot at this time. In addition, from the perspective of experts, they are more interested in the purpose of the friendly match that just took place. They are more interested in whether the Vietnamese team in general and coach Kim Sang Sik in particular can achieve those purposes, through the match with Cambodia or not, not necessarily the result.

After the match, former coach of the Vietnam national team, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, talked with Dan Tri reporter. Mr. Hung analyzed the goal that the Vietnam national team was looking for in the friendly match with the team from the land of pagodas.

Former coach of Vietnam national team, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung (Photo: Hai Long).

New trials

How do you evaluate the Vietnam team, through the match with Cambodia last night at Binh Duong stadium?

- In my opinion, this was a match in which the Vietnamese players played well, especially in the first half. The team's play was coherent and had clear intentions. The team's playing system was stable and the coordination was clear.

It must also be said that the spirit of Vietnamese players has improved significantly after we won the AFF Cup 2024. Playing as Southeast Asian champions, the Vietnamese team is much more confident.

As for the result of the match with Cambodia, since this is a friendly match, the result is not too important.

Midfielder Hai Long was pushed up high to play as a "virtual" striker (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

How is the way the Vietnamese team played in the match against Cambodia different from what we have seen in the AFF Cup? Specifically, how is the way the Vietnamese team plays without striker Nguyen Xuan Son different from before?

- It is clear that the Vietnamese team with and without Nguyen Xuan Son applied completely different playing styles. When Xuan Son was on the field, most of the passes from the bottom up of the Vietnamese team were directed towards this player. At that time, we mainly passed the ball to Xuan Son during attacks.

Without Xuan Son, like in last night's match, the Vietnamese team played more diversely, passing the ball short and coordinating more with the team. The Vietnamese team, when Xuan Son was not on the field, tended to control the ball. The good news is that the players successfully carried out Coach Kim Sang Sik's plan.

I think the Korean coach has found the right formula for the Vietnamese team, found a playing style that suits him.

As mentioned, yesterday's friendly match with Cambodia was a test match, so what did coach Kim Sang Sik test in the last match, sir?

- The first is to test a new style of play without a strong striker like Xuan Son in the front line that I mentioned above. The second is to test personnel and new positions for some old faces.

Quang Hai (19) was also pushed up to play higher than usual (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

For example, in yesterday's match, the two midfielders Hai Long and Quang Hai were pushed up very high, playing as "virtual" strikers. They were effective. In addition to their understanding with each other, the enthusiasm of these players, especially Hai Long, created some breakthroughs in attack.

This personnel arrangement of coach Kim Sang Sik creates a new feature for the team, creating a breakthrough in attack for the home team and creating surprises for the opponent.

Not only that, in the match against Cambodia, left-back Nguyen Van Vi was also pushed up higher than usual. From the moment Van Vi entered the field (replacing Trieu Viet Hung in the middle of the first half), this player also performed well, creating an additional attack on the left wing for the Vietnamese team.

Forming a satisfactory formula for the official tournament

With what was shown in the match against Cambodia, do you think coach Kim Sang Sik will use this squad for the match against Laos (taking place on March 25), or will Mr. Kim continue to make adjustments?

- For each different match, the head coach will have different plans. I think coach Kim Sang Sik currently has many plans in hand, it's just that we don't know which plan he will finalize for the upcoming match.

Basically, the Vietnamese team's core is still based on veteran players who play well together. However, the team always has a combination of veteran players and new faces.

Van Vi (3) had a good match against Cambodia (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

This is the intention of Coach Kim Sang-sik to use personnel appropriately, creating harmony for the national team and creating new motivation for the whole team. New players with a strong desire to contribute will stimulate the competitiveness of the Vietnamese team, thereby urging all players to always strive.

Which new recruits are worth looking forward to in the team, sir?

- All the new players called up to the Vietnam national team at this time are promising faces. Midfielder Minh Khoa, center back Ly Duc, and other new recruits are all very promising.

As for when to use them and against which opponents, the head coach is the one who knows best, because he monitors the players' performance every day. As I said, coach Kim Sang Sik has many personnel options, it's just that we don't know which option he will choose for which opponent.

Thank you for the conversation!