The race between Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Filip
Despite winning the first title with the Vietnamese team, the AFF Cup 2024 was not a memorable tournament for Nguyen Filip personally. The goalkeeper born in 1992 only played in 2 matches against Indonesia (won 1-0) and the Philippines (drawn 1-1). In the remaining 6 matches of the Vietnamese team, the goalkeeper was Nguyen Dinh Trieu.
Goalkeeper Dinh Trieu repaid coach Kim Sang-sik's trust. He played well in the semi-finals and finals, eventually winning the title of best goalkeeper of the tournament. Dinh Trieu made good saves and chose stable positions. Although there were some unsafe situations, overall, this was still a performance that contributed to the success of the Vietnamese team.
Compared to Dinh Trieu, Nguyen Filip is superior in terms of class and playing experience. However, in football, being better is not necessarily the same as being more suitable. Coach Kim Sang-sik explained that Dinh Trieu is superior in terms of communication with teammates and giving commands during matches.
Goalkeeper Nguyen Filip
With a defensive style of play (requiring more communication and calling from the goalkeeper), and not placing much emphasis on ball control in defense (meaning there is no need for a goalkeeper with excellent footwork, but rather playing safely), Mr. Kim and assistant Lee Woon-jae agreed that Dinh Trieu is a reasonable solution. At least, in the context of the 2024 AFF Cup. At the same time, when Dinh Trieu is still both good and compatible with the team's winning streak, very few coaches choose to change goalkeepers.
Analyzing this way, we can draw two conclusions. First, Dinh Trieu deserves to be recognized for his class after his persistent efforts. He has the tenacity, toughness and "fighting spirit" needed for a warrior. To return to the national team after many years of leaving football is not a simple matter. The goalkeeper of Hai Phong is the opponent that Nguyen Filip or Dang Van Lam must overcome if they want to regain the number one position.
On the other hand, Dinh Trieu is good and suitable for the AFF Cup 2024. However, that does not mean that this goalkeeper is automatically the main goalkeeper in every tournament. Because as mentioned, Dinh Trieu is trusted because he fits the playing style and context of the Vietnamese team in the AFF Cup. However, in another context, with the requirement that the playing style can change over time, the door for Nguyen Filip to return is still open.
Effort
There was a time when Nguyen Filip was withdrawn. The goalkeeper born in 1992 shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper that somewhere in the process of communicating with teammates, he still had an inferiority complex because "what I said might not be understood by them, and what they said might not be understood by me."
Although former Slovan Liberec goalkeeper is quite fluent in reading commands like forward, backward, left, right, rush, up..., football is not just about commands on the field. In some matches at V-League, Nguyen Filip got into a situation where he called out... the wrong name of his teammates.
Will Filip come back strong?
Normal communication is one thing, but how to think in a fast-paced, high-pressure, and noisy match (which is much more intense at the national team level than in the V-League) is still a barrier that Nguyen Filip is trying to overcome to this day. He and his wife (Aneta Nguyen) still study Vietnamese 3 times a week and to date, Filip's Vietnamese has improved, but still needs to be better.
If he overcomes the communication barrier, Nguyen Filip is still a top-class goalkeeper. According to SportBase statistics, Nguyen Filip has a 77% save rate (third highest), 88% accurate passes (tied with Van Phong, Dinh Trieu, Minh Toan), the lowest number of goals conceded and the second highest number of minutes played. Based on the scale of goalkeeper versatility, Filip's performance is rated the highest.
Two years after returning home, Nguyen Filip still maintains a stable body shape, exercise frequency (through on-field training and gym sessions) and a European-standard diet. Filip and Van Lam are rare overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers who always maintain standard living and training standards. With a moderate attitude despite sitting on the bench at the AFF Cup 2024, Filip has a good foundation to bounce back in 2025.
Still possessing a high level of 8 years of playing in Europe, along with his communication skills and desire to improve, Nguyen Filip is ready for new competition.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguyen-filip-mang-dang-cap-chau-au-tro-lai-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185250204144108917.htm
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