Vietnam team wins over Cambodia: Many scars, heavy worries

Is coach Kim Sang Sik safe or does the Vietnamese team lack backup players?

After the match against Cambodia, coach Kim Sang Sik admitted that he was somewhat cautious in arranging the Vietnamese team's lineup because he still had to prepare for a more important match against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on March 25.

For that reason, the Korean strategist almost kept the same squad that was successful in the AFF Cup and the ideas he would apply against Laos (such as arranging Hoang Duc and Quang Hai to play together) in the match against Cambodia. There was only one change when Viet Hung played in the left-back position. However, this player was quickly withdrawn from the field to make way for Van Vi because he did not meet the requirements.

Coach Kim Sang Sik still used the old squad in the friendly match with Cambodia (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

It is known that friendly matches are a good time for coaches to test their squads, but it is understandable that coach Kim Sang Sik is under pressure. The Vietnamese team stepped onto the field against Cambodia as the reigning Southeast Asian champions and of course could not lose to the weakest team in the region, Cambodia. If that happened, the situation in the Vietnamese team would be extremely "unstable".

However, things did not go as coach Kim Sang Sik had planned. The Vietnamese team seemed to have not warmed up after regrouping after a few months. In addition, fans could clearly feel the absence of Xuan Son, who was capable of stirring up any defense in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, the Vietnamese team's playing style against Cambodia was quite bland and monotonous. Everything almost returned to the starting line as when we faced Laos in the opening match of the 2024 AFF Cup. We only played well in the first half when we had a few creative moves. The remaining problem of speed in the ball deployment is still a weakness that cannot be overcome.

In fact, coach Kim Sang Sik experimented in the second half when the Vietnamese team was leading 2-0, when he withdrew Quang Hai, Hoang Duc and Hai Long from the field. Chau Ngoc Quang was tested in the role of conductor. However, the Vietnamese team caused extreme disappointment when they lost the game to Cambodia and then conceded a goal. Even if they had handled the game more skillfully, the team from the land of the pagodas could have scored an equalizer.

Commenting on television, coach Pham Minh Duc shared: "Without Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, Hai Long or Tuan Hai, the Vietnamese team's playing style was erratic and they could not control the game. Perhaps coach Kim Sang Sik has somewhat withdrawn the squad for the match against Laos."

Vietnam lost control of the game in the second half and almost let Cambodia equalize (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

Coach Kim Sang Sik really wanted to experiment with new faces like Ly Duc and Minh Khoa. However, the fact that the Vietnamese team had to compete under pressure from Cambodia made him "not dare" to make any changes. The trio of central defenders Thanh Chung, Duy Manh and Bui Tien Dung were still kept in front of goalkeeper Dinh Trieu.

From a certain perspective, it can be seen that coach Kim Sang Sik is a bit "stuck" with options. The reserve players seem to not have the same level of skill as the main players. That leads to the team's playing style being completely out of sync when the main players are replaced. Just look at the moment when coach Kim Sang Sik was restless at the end of the match, fans can feel the difficulties of both him and the Vietnamese team.

Waiting for "iron punch" from Vietnam team

Of course, we cannot criticize the Vietnamese team because of their performance in the friendly match. After all, we have not used 100% of our strength because we want to focus on the match against Laos. Looking at it from a more positive perspective, the poor match against Cambodia is a "precious medicine" for the Vietnamese team at this time.

It will help coach Kim Sang Sik's team come back to earth and look back at themselves after a long time "in the clouds" when becoming the Southeast Asian champion. To start a new journey, sometimes we need a "slap" to wake up and an "empty" mind to fill with the desire to conquer challenges.

Vietnam team does not have many quality backup plans (Photo: Nam Anh).

In other words, the Vietnamese team needs to renew itself on the new journey. It is understandable why coach Kim Sang Sik decided to use the strongest lineup against Cambodia. He wanted to make sure everything was in sync in the context of not having many days to prepare for the match against Laos.

Since leading the Vietnam team, coach Kim Sang Sik has always created a safe, slow, and steady approach. He wants the team to move step by step, instead of creating a complete transformation like the time of his predecessor Troussier.

Perhaps, because of that, the Korean coach has never let things in the Vietnamese team go beyond his control. If you pay close attention, you can see that in the first half of the match against Cambodia, coach Kim Sang Sik aimed for a more diverse playing style, instead of defaulting to pass the ball long to the target striker, Xuan Son, as before.

Coach Phan Thanh Hung saw some bright spots in the Vietnamese team: "The two midfielders Hai Long and Quang Hai were pushed up very high, playing like "virtual" strikers. They have been effective. In addition to their understanding with each other, the enthusiasm of these players, especially Hai Long, created a breakthrough in attack.

This personnel arrangement of coach Kim Sang Sik created 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 this match, Van Vi was also arranged to play higher than usual.

Within the framework of a match, the Korean coach could not test all the new elements such as Ly Duc, Minh Khoa. Or a few things were also off his calculations such as the Vietnamese team losing the game in the second half. However, the most important thing is that the Vietnamese team still maintained the victory against Cambodia to create good psychological momentum before the match with Laos.

After all the "warnings" from the match with Cambodia, coach Kim Sang Sik's team needs to focus fully on the match with Laos and overcome the remaining weaknesses. Compared to Cambodia, Laos' strength is lower. However, the team from the Land of a Million Elephants is always highly appreciated for its spirit.

The disappointing draw against Cambodia is a "warning" for the Vietnamese team (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

We can never forget the frustrating performance of Laos in the first half of the AFF Cup opening match against Vietnam. To break through that "concrete block", coach Kim Sang Sik's team needs to create many breakthroughs. If they maintain the good tempo like in the first half of the match against Cambodia, the "Golden Dragons" can completely aim for victory.

After that, the Vietnamese team has 3 months to prepare before the decisive match in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Malaysia. That is not a long time but not a short time for coach Kim Sang Sik to find suitable backup players for the team. That is a long-term survival task for the Vietnamese team.