Minh Khoa may be given a chance in the midfield of the Vietnam national team - Photo: ANH KHOA
The recent massive naturalization has significantly improved the quality of the Cambodian team. At the ASEAN Cup 2024, with 6 naturalized players in the squad, Cambodia lost 2-3 to Thailand, lost 1-2 to Singapore and drew 2-2 with Malaysia.
Cambodia team has not changed much
Compared to the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Cambodian team coming to Vietnam has no significant changes in terms of force. In addition to defensive midfielder Hikaru Mizuno (Japanese origin) who is absent due to injury, coach Koji Gyotoku still has 5 other naturalized players in the squad. Besides, there is also Cambodian-American winger Nick Taylor.
Coach Koji Gyotoku often uses a 4-4-2 formation. In it, he uses a pair of naturalized central defenders, captain Kan Mo (South Africa, 1m84 tall) and Takaki Ose (Japan, 1m83).
The conductor in the midfield is midfielder Yudai Ogawa (Japan). Up front, the striker duo Abdel Kader Coulibaly (Ivory Coast) - Andres Nieto (Colombia) take turns playing alongside one of the two young strikers Sieng Chanthea and Hav Soknet.
Playing aggressively, Abdel Coulibaly (1m79) scored two goals in four appearances at the ASEAN Cup 2024. The two goals of this striker, who used to play for the Ivory Coast U20 team, were against Malaysia and Thailand. Meanwhile, Andres Nieto (1m76) has a technical style of play and scored one goal (against Thailand) in two appearances at the ASEAN Cup 2024.
Quality testing
After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, regional rivals have studied Vietnam’s playing style to find ways to counter it. These include Laos and Malaysia - two opponents in Group F in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
Therefore, in the match against Laos in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on March 25 in Binh Duong, in addition to adjusting tactics, Coach Kim Sang Sik also needs to find new factors to avoid being predicted by the opponent. And testing the 5 U22 players currently in the team is something that must be considered in preparation for the 33rd SEA Games at the end of the year.
Before the friendly match with Cambodia, in addition to Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team also lacked a series of key players such as Van Toan, Ho Tan Tai, Xuan Manh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, and goalkeeper Nguyen Filip for various reasons. Not to mention goalkeeper Dinh Trieu has just returned to training and is unlikely to be able to play in this match.
However, this is also a good opportunity for Mr. Kim to test new factors while still ensuring the goal of victory over Cambodia.
U22 goalkeeper Trung Kien is likely to be given his first chance to play for the Vietnamese national team by Mr. Kim. The same goes for the new recruit - U22 center back Pham Ly Duc. Although there are many good center backs, Mr. Kim also wants to test Ly Duc in the right center back position - where captain Duy Manh and Xuan Manh are currently holding.
Playing impressively with Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club and scoring 2 goals in V-League 2024 - 2025, Ly Duc promises to bring a new breeze to Vietnam's defense.
In addition to personnel, fans are also interested in whether coach Kim Sang Sik will experiment with a new style of play for the Vietnamese team. This is because in the ASEAN Cup 2024, with Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team will almost only have one strategy: passing from the two wings or passing long balls to the Brazilian striker to find a scoring opportunity.
Now, without Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team needs to have a different strategy suitable for the current personnel.
Also from here, the midfield could be where Mr. Kim promises to test both personnel and tactics to prepare for the match against Laos and Malaysia at the 2027 Asian Cup. Therefore, rookie Vo Hoang Minh Khoa will likely be given a chance by Mr. Kim after his impressive performance in the B.Binh Duong club shirt.
With 3 goals in V-League 2024 - 2025, Minh Khoa is one of the best scorers of the current Vietnam team, only behind Tien Linh (10 goals), Chau Ngoc Quang and Hai Long (both 4 goals).
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giao-huu-viet-nam-cambodia-co-hoi-cho-nhan-to-moi-20250319073430153.htm
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