Coach Kim has found the key to upgrading the Vietnamese team's midfield, so happy!

Vo Hoang Minh Khoa scored well in his debut match for the Vietnamese team.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

Vietnam team puts hope in Minh Khoa

In the first official match since winning the AFF Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team had a convincing 5-0 victory over the Lao team, with only 1 new player appearing, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, to smoothly open the 3rd qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2027.

The young midfielder of Binh Duong Club started in the lineup that gathered all the heroes of AFF Cup 2024. In the most cramped place in the center of midfield, he played confidently and comfortably as if he had been there for a long time.

In particular, playing alongside senior Hoang Duc, the midfielder born in 2001 has initially shown that he can provide a suitable addition. Minh Khoa distributes the ball quickly and simply, but when needed, he still has unexpected passes straight into the middle, or into the armpits to help his teammates accelerate.

Minh Khoa plays football confidently and maturely in his debut for the Vietnam national team.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

At the same time, number 10 of Binh Duong Club still ensures the intensity of the competition in the extremely important area of ​​the midfield, helping people somewhat forget that the Vietnamese team plays without "sweeper" Doan Ngoc Tan.

The fact that coach Kim Sang-sik used a maximum of five substitutions but still kept Minh Khoa on the field until the end of the match is seen as proof of how confident the Korean strategist is about the young rookie who is not at all timid.

One thing must be affirmed, Doan Ngoc Tan will still be an extremely reliable option for the Vietnam team. The experience, health and relentless fighting spirit of Tan "hu" will still be a valuable asset for the Vietnam team, especially in "tough" matches.

Minh Khoa's performance was quite good, but if given the choice, perhaps coach Kim Sang-sik would still trust the Thanh Hoa Club captain to be in good physical condition. Because the truth is that we played very well, even with a rookie like Minh Khoa, because the opponent Laos was too weak.

Increase competition and midfield thickness

Vietnam team has more options for Doan Ngoc Tan

Photo: Ngoc Linh

But in the long-term vision, the strategist born in 1976 must be very happy to see Minh Khoa's strong growth, because Ngoc Tan is really overloaded due to playing continuously at a terrible density, not having had a break since the AFF Cup 2024.

At 31 years old, Ngoc Tan really needs someone to share the fire in the middle of the field, in a situation where veteran Hung Dung (32 years old) seems to be out of the calculation, Thanh Long is 30 years old, and a young person like Thai Son is not suitable for the playing style of the Vietnamese team.

At the age of 24, Minh Khoa still has room to develop more in terms of technique and tactics. His perseverance and desire to contribute over the years in Binh Duong FC is a guarantee of that development potential.

In addition, coach Kim Sang-sik can also be satisfied when receiving a report from assistant Dinh Hong Vinh - acting head coach of the U.22 Vietnam team that just participated in the CFA Team China 2025 friendly tournament, about Nguyen Van Truong's good performance.

Van Truong has matured a lot since being given the captain's armband of the U.22 Vietnam team.

Photo: vff

Trusted to be the captain, the young player of Hanoi FC has shown great progress. He confidently played strong and aggressive football, supporting the whole team to achieve an undefeated record against 3 strong opponents Korea, Uzbekistan and China.

As one of the important factors of the 2003 generation, Van Truong promises to be a pillar of the U.22 Vietnam team competing for the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games at the end of the year, and further, a future position in the midfield of the Vietnam team when Doan Ngoc Tan cannot serve much anymore.

There is still a bit of regret for Thai Son, the midfielder born in 2003 was called up but did not play a single minute in the two matches between Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos. Perhaps he will need to find a little more resilience and adapt more appropriately to create trust for Mr. Kim like Minh Khoa did.

However, the fact that Thai Son is often called is a signal that the Korean coach is still patiently waiting for him, as one of the factors that will bring the key to upgrading the midfield of the Vietnamese team in the future.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-da-tim-ra-chia-khoa-nang-cap-khu-trung-tuyen-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-qua-vui-185250327163956157.htm