Does the Vietnam team still have room for Hung Dung and Cong Phuong?

Vietnam team always welcomes everyone

Coach Kim Sang-sik once caused controversy when he removed Do Hung Dung, Que Ngoc Hai and Nguyen Cong Phuong from the list of Vietnam's team attending the AFF Cup 2024.

Football expert Doan Minh Xuong shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper: "Mr. Kim needs to be praised for his courage in making a decision that goes against the majority. The Korean coach did not eliminate the pillars of his predecessor to affirm his own mark. This is a choice purely based on tactical and philosophical perspectives, which are aspects that Mr. Kim, although inheriting, still has differences from coach Park Hang-seo. Of course, the success at the AFF Cup 2024 shows that Mr. Kim made the right choice."

Coach Kim Sang-sik did not use the above veterans because he did not see that the physical strength and endurance of this group of players was good enough to keep up with the standards of the Vietnamese team.

Cong Phuong scores regularly, but coach Kim Sang-sik needs more than that

At the same time, it is not a decision related to age, because Doan Ngoc Tan (31 years old) is actually only 1 year younger than Hung Dung and Ngoc Hai, but is still a pillar of the national team at the AFF Cup 2024. Or Cong Phuong is 30 years old, the same age or not much different from his teammates who shined at the recent AFF Cup such as Bui Tien Dung, Do Duy Manh, Pham Xuan Manh or Vu Van Thanh.

Coach Kim Sang-sik shared with the media that the Vietnamese team's physical strength has improved after 10 days of training in Korea. This is the key for Mr. Kim to build a durable and energetic playing style for the players, shown in the statistics: the Vietnamese team is the team that scores the most goals in the second half in the history of the AFF Cup, with goals scored in the 90+11, 90+14 or... 90+19 minutes.

How strong, resilient and ambitious must Mr. Kim's students be to be able to play "closely" with their opponents the entire match and score so many goals in the last minutes?

This is also a door that opens for the pillars: if they meet the physical and endurance criteria with specific parameters set by the coaching staff, while maintaining their form and desire, Hung Dung, Ngoc Hai or Cong Phuong can all return to the Vietnam team. This group of players still has a high level, a valuable experience after many years of fighting and versatility, helping Mr. Kim build many tactical plans.

Reward of effort

The presence of new faces like Ngoc Tan, Chau Ngoc Quang, Nguyen Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Van Vi shows that if they try hard enough, every player can reach the threshold of the Vietnamese national team.

However, on the contrary, if they become complacent and stop trying, any star is at risk of "falling from power". Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed to Thanh Nien Newspaper: "Players must be dedicated and loyal to create a durable and solid team".

Vi Hao is appreciated for his youth and enthusiasm.

The Vietnamese team is preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Although most of the teams in the same group are from Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Laos), this tournament is very different from the AFF Cup. This is not a tournament that is concentrated in 1 month, but spread out over... 15 months, with 6 matches divided equally between the sessions. Similar to the World Cup qualifiers, the Asian Cup qualifiers are long-term tournaments. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik can alternate between using core personnel and experimenting with new faces.

The way he used people at the AFF Cup 2024 has proven that Mr. Kim loves to rotate his squad. "I always have a separate strategy and way of using people for each match and each opponent. The only goal is to win," Mr. Kim emphasized. The philosophy of the Korean coach opens up equal opportunities for all players. Just keep contributing, the rewards will come.

Cong Phuong's goal against HAGL in the National Cup (he has scored 6 goals this season) could be the "greeting" that the 30-year-old striker gives to coach Kim Sang-sik. If he maintains his scoring form, Cong Phuong's return to the national team is not far away.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-con-cho-cho-hung-dung-cong-phuong-185250116160428027.htm