Vietnam team still has 'reserves', opponents cannot predict everything

"Savings" of Vietnam team

Not only the Vietnamese team, Thailand is also not too flashy in the early stages of the AFF Cup 2024. Notably, in the match against Malaysia on December 14, Thailand could only win the opponent with a narrow margin of 1-0, even though Malaysia lost 6 important players, they were suddenly recalled by their home club to compete in the Asian Cup. At the same time, the only goal of the Golden Temple team in the match was scored from a very disastrous pass by the opponent's goalkeeper, not from a well-coordinated situation.

That said, this is a period when teams do not necessarily need to reveal all their strengths. A team is only truly dangerous in long-term battles if it does not let opponents easily guess its playing style and personnel plans.

AFF Cup: Đội tuyển Việt Nam vẫn còn ‘của để dành’, các đối thủ chưa thể đoán hết- Ảnh 1. — Coach Kim Sang-sik still has many options in the squad.

With the Vietnamese team, coach Kim Sang-sik still has "reserves", there are still personnel who have not shone brightly in previous matches, but these personnel are always potentially dangerous. One of those personnel is Hoang Duc. This player was assigned by the Korean coach to play as a withdrawn striker in the match against Indonesia. Although Hoang Duc has not played very well in this position, he still has skillful dribbling moves, passing 2-3 Indonesian defenders, penetrating the opponent's penalty area. In addition, in the first half, Hoang Duc had a very dangerous turn and shot, sending the ball just wide of the crossbar.

In theory, the deeper into the tournament, Hoang Duc will have better form, his ball sense will be better. At that time, Hoang Duc's dribbling situations and finishing moves, in theory, will be more accurate.

AFF Cup: Đội tuyển Việt Nam vẫn còn ‘của để dành’, các đối thủ chưa thể đoán hết- Ảnh 2. — Hoang Duc still hasn't had his best performance at AFF Cup 2024

Opponents cannot predict everything about coach Kim Sang-sik's team.

Another character, who has not scored yet but is also potentially dangerous, is striker Bui Vi Hao. This is the best player in the Vietnamese team in the first 60 minutes of the match against Laos on December 9. In that match, Vi Hao was just a little unlucky to score a goal against the opponent. The fact that Vi Hao was then substituted in the middle of the match was also considered a bit early. If he had been on the field longer in the match against Laos, it is possible that he would have scored a goal of his own.

In the match against Indonesia, Vi Hao only entered the field in the last few minutes. This is a problem arising from the tactical requirements of coach Kim Sang-sik. Perhaps the Korean coach assessed that Vi Hao was not suitable to be used more against Indonesia. However, against other opponents of the Vietnamese team, he may be suitable, and this is still an expected scoring option for the team under coach Kim Sang-sik.

AFF Cup: Đội tuyển Việt Nam vẫn còn ‘của để dành’, các đối thủ chưa thể đoán hết- Ảnh 3. — Vi Hao always waits for opportunities to shine.

In addition, we cannot fail to mention naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son. This player can only play from the match against Myanmar on December 21, according to FIFA regulations. This is certainly a significant addition to the Vietnamese team's attack.

Regarding the personnel issue of the Vietnamese team, about the possibility of success of the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: "For a team to reach the end of success, it depends on many factors, including luck. As for the strength of the whole team, I think the Vietnamese team has a very good force. We are the strongest in this year's tournament, although we have not used Nguyen Xuan Son yet."

Experts see the potential of the Vietnamese team at this time. We still have many strengths that have not been fully utilized. Those are the things that opponents fear the most, because there are still many positions in the Vietnamese team that can shine at any time, at the time when opponents least expect it.