Vietnam Team: Old bottle, will Coach Kim use new wine?

NEED A NEW WIND to blow into the team

The narrow 2-1 victory over Cambodia (March 19) was a timely warning for the Vietnamese team. Although still using the same squad that won the 2024 AFF Cup, the performance of coach Kim Sang-sik's students did not leave an impression.

Coach Kim Sang-sik will have many changes for the match against Laos.

Photo: NGOC LINH

After leading by 2 goals in the first half, the Vietnamese team lost control of the game in the second half, allowing the opponent to score 1 goal and had to struggle to defend until the last minute. In this match, it was difficult to find a good player. Most of them performed at an average level or below. The defense could not link well with the midfield to deploy and control the ball coherently, the central midfielders lacked attacking ideas, while the forwards relied heavily on individual breakthroughs, lacking systematic coordination.

The Vietnamese team conquered the AFF Cup 2024 with the mark of Nguyen Xuan Son, when the Brazilian striker was too strong and versatile, even creating opportunities himself in a "ball-starved" situation. Without the player born in 1997, the weaknesses of the Vietnamese team were exposed. The remaining players could not solve the problem on their own like Xuan Son. They needed to coordinate and support each other to create opportunities, but in the match against Cambodia, that did not often appear.

It will take another 6 months for coach Kim Sang-sik to welcome Xuan Son back. Another new player worth watching, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, will also need another 3 months to complete the procedures before he can wear the national team jersey. At this time, the Vietnamese team can only rely on what they have. When the old factors cannot shine, Mr. Kim can look to the new players, who, despite limited experience, have plenty of desire to prove themselves.

THE MATCH WITH LAOS WILL BE DIFFERENT

Midfielder Vo Hoang Minh Khoa can bring mobility and flexibility to the midfield thanks to his ability to run all over the field and take on many tasks such as passing, intercepting, controlling the play or supporting the attack. Center back Pham Ly Duc, although immature and not yet capable of playing as a starter, has the potential to become a mainstay of the Vietnam national team in a few years, so being given the opportunity is very necessary.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's use of players at the AFF Cup 2024 has shown that he is not afraid to experiment. Because if the Korean coach was conservative, Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, Chau Ngoc Quang or Bui Vi Hao would not have had the opportunity. The important thing is that the new players must make enough effort, both in terms of expertise on the field and the ability to integrate with the team.

In addition, Mr. Kim also needs "time" to change. That is, new players emerging in positions that the Vietnamese team is lacking, or the appearance of those new players (most clearly seen in the positions of Ngoc Tan and Vi Hao) can bring surprises, making it difficult for opponents to neutralize. Mr. Kim's students still need to control the game well, but must know when to accelerate, and at the same time have new moves to create opportunities. That newness can appear in new players, when the old generation begins to fall into a rut of thinking about playing football.

At this point, both new and old players are trying to compete. Despite physical difficulties after playing continuously for the past 6 months (causing some players to be injured), the Vietnamese team is in good spirits and aware of the importance of the victory over Laos in the opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, taking place at 7:30 p.m. on March 25 in Binh Duong.

The Vietnamese team has a perfect record against Laos, however, the opponents of coach Kim Sang-sik's team have improved. Laos drew with Indonesia (3-3), the Philippines (1-1) and Thailand (1-1) in the past 3 months. In the match against Vietnam, coach Ha Hyeok-jun's Laos team also kept the first half at 0-0. Laos' weakness is physical strength, as Mr. Ha's students often conceded goals in the last 20 minutes. To overcome this weakness, coach Ha Hyeok-jun gathered the team early to train their physical strength, increase muscle endurance and mental strength. In the most recent friendly match, the Lao team lost 1-2 to Sri Lanka (ranked 200th in the world).