Warning to Coach Kim Sang-sik
On the evening of January 19, Nam Dinh FC lost 0-1 to The Cong Viettel at Thien Truong Stadium in round 10 of the V-League. Although they have not lost the second place, a warning has appeared for coach Vu Hong Viet's team when Xuan Son is no longer present. That is also a detail that coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnamese team need to pay attention to. The absence of a key striker is never an easy thing for any team.
When Xuan Son was on the field, Nam Dinh FC won 4 consecutive matches in V-League, scoring 14 goals. But without the striker born in 1997, the team from Thanh Nam only scored 2 goals in the last 3 matches, not winning any.
Nam Dinh Club misses Xuan Son very much
Nam Dinh FC can "survive" well without Van Toan or Hendrio Araujo, but Xuan Son is a different story. The Brazilian striker's influence on the game is not only in terms of goals (of course he is very good at scoring goals), but also in the path leading to those goals. A well-rounded striker, good at all attacking skills, playing passionately and cunningly like Xuan Son has raised the level of Nam Dinh FC's entire attack. What people see Xuan Son doing at the 2024 AFF Cup, he actually does... every week in the V-League.
Of course, the more influential a player is, the more difficult it is to replace him. Up to this point, Nam Dinh FC has not found anyone to fill the role of Xuan Son (shown in poor results and playing style). The same thing could happen to the Vietnam national team. Xuan Son is out for 8 months, which means he will miss the matches against Laos (March), Malaysia (June) and Nepal (September), equivalent to the first half of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. When he returns, it is uncertain whether the 28-year-old striker will be back to his best form.
Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that despite Xuan Son's class, the Vietnamese team still does not depend on any individual. However, let's observe the second leg of the final. After Xuan Son left the field, the Vietnamese team scored 2 goals, but 1 goal came from Pansa Hemviboon's goal (starting from Tuan Hai's poor finish), while the other goal came from a counterattack when the opponent had left the entire goal.
Who is Mr. Kim looking for to replace Xuan Son?
The Vietnamese team can still attack when Xuan Son is absent, but clearly, the path to goal is much more difficult. Without a good striker on the field, it means that Vietnam's opponents can push up their formation, creating pressure on the defense.
Tien Linh and... who else?
Coach Kim Sang-sik used Tien Linh in the first 3 matches of the tournament, when Xuan Son was not eligible to play. When Xuan Son played, Tien Linh sat on the bench. This means that the 1-center formation is still the top priority of coach Kim.
Sharing with the media, midfielder Doan Ngoc Tan affirmed that coach Kim Sang-sik's favorite playing style is to push the ball up the line as quickly as possible. This tactic requires a lot from a striker: strong enough to shield the ball, skillful enough to receive the ball neatly, or flexible enough to fight independently in case teammates do not have time to support. Xuan Son has brightened the attacking picture of the Vietnamese team because he fits the philosophy.
Without him, coach Kim Sang-sik only has two paths: find a good striker with qualities similar to Xuan Son, which is... unrealistic given the quality of domestic strikers. Or find a playing style suitable for the current players.
In the hands of the Korean coach, there is Tien Linh. Although his playing style is still lacking, the 28-year-old striker is still the top scorer under Mr. Kim (7 goals). He has experience, the ability to score goals and find space. However, to promote Tien Linh's ability, the Vietnamese team must play differently. It is not possible to pass the ball to the striker according to the criterion "the faster the better" like in the AFF Cup, but needs to coordinate in a more systematic and systematic way, have many diverse attacking solutions, promote the ability of the attacking midfielders more, instead of expecting the striker to do everything.
Need more from Tien Linh (red shirt)
In addition, coach Kim also needs a backup striker. Relying on a few strikers is a risky gamble.
In Kim Sang-sik's favor, in 2 of the first 3 matches without Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team will face weaker opponents (Laos and Nepal). The match against Malaysia at Bukit Jalil in June will be difficult, but unlike the AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team will play at a very low frequency with only 3 matches in the next 6 months.
The time for the Vietnamese team to calculate tactics and play style will be "longer". Difficulties are opportunities for Mr. Kim to prove his ability, that the Vietnamese team will not depend on any individual.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ngay-thang-vang-xuan-son-se-kho-khan-hlv-kim-sang-sik-phai-tim-cach-185250120174307494.htm
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