Coach Kim Sang-sik did not call up any new strikers compared to the 2024 AFF Cup. The Korean coach relied on familiar faces in the attack to perform in the absence of key striker Nguyen Xuan Son.
The decision not to experiment with new elements in the forward line of the Korean coach is not difficult to understand. In fact, he did not have many options. The domestic players who scored the most goals in V.League this season - except for Nguyen Van Quyet who stopped playing for the national team - were all "available" in the list from previous training sessions.
There has been no outstanding striker in the recent rounds of V.League. Nham Manh Dung of The Cong Viettel was noticed in a short period with 2 goals in 3 matches when V.League returned. However, this player could not maintain his form and faded in the following matches.
Coach Kim Sang-sik does not have many options in attack.
The Vietnamese team simply returned to the situation before December 20, 2024, when Xuan Son was not available. Coach Kim Sang-sik has placed his trust in Nguyen Tien Linh and most likely the same in the next two matches (against Cambodia and Laos).
Of course, this striker born in 1997 does not automatically have a starting position just because... there is no one else better. Tien Linh's scoring efficiency this season is a factor that can reassure coach Kim Sang-sik.
The player who just won the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball is still at the top of the scoring list of the season with 10 goals - only 2 of which are penalties and up to 50% are opening goals. Tien Linh's form is not bad with 3 goals in the last 4 matches before coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list.
Choosing a replacement for Xuan Son is not a matter of much calculation. How to make that option bring equivalent efficiency is the difficult thing. Tien Linh is not effective in AFF Cup 2024.
He scored 4 goals on the way to the championship, but half of them were penalties and the remaining 2 goals were scored against the 2 weakest opponents (Laos, Myanmar). Against difficult opponents like Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, Tien Linh did not leave an impression.
Xuan Son is absent, it's time for Tien Linh to show his Golden Ball class.
The style of play that coach Kim Sang-sik has set up for the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024 seems not to be for Tien Linh. He is not the type of striker who can wait for long passes to "do it all". Moving wide and dropping deep to join in the coordination is even more in line with this striker's weakness, which is the ability to control and handle the ball.
In a situation where he has to rely on Tien Linh without Xuan Son, coach Kim Sang-sik needs to set up differently. The Vietnamese team must create a system that can place the main striker in his best position - the opponent's penalty area - as much as possible.
The quality of passes also needs to be improved so as not to waste a striker who is good at aerial combat and cutting. The crosses of the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024 are not of high quality.
Overall, coach Kim Sang-sik has personnel options available to fill Xuan Son’s position. However, he needs to adjust to optimize the playing style for the Vietnamese team if he does not want to fall into a deadlock like the previous matches when Xuan Son was in the squad. This is also the time for Tien Linh to show his class as a Vietnamese Golden Ball.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/mat-xuan-son-tuyen-viet-nam-can-tien-linh-chung-minh-dang-cap-qua-bong-vang-ar930186.html
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