Coach Kim Sang-sik's worries

STRIKERS DON'T SCORES

The Vietnamese team played two matches during the FIFA Days in March, facing Cambodia (international friendly) and Laos at Binh Duong Stadium. In the opening match of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup against the team from the land of a million elephants, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won 5-0. This was a smooth and favorable start for the golden star team to continue moving forward in the journey to conquer a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

Vietnam national team's attack line is broken, Tien Linh (22) needs to speak up

PHOTO: KHA HOA

However, there is a worrying statistic about the recent goals of the Vietnamese team.

A total of 7 goals were scored by Vietnamese players against Cambodia and Laos. Notably, all of the above goals were not scored by strikers. In the match against Cambodia, Nguyen Hai Long and Nguyen Van Vi scored. Next, Chau Ngoc Quang, Nguyen Van Vi (double), Nguyen Hai Long, Nguyen Quang Hai were the players who scored against Laos. Surprisingly, the player who left the strongest impression in the 2 victories of the Vietnamese team on the FIFA Days in March was a winger - Nguyen Van Vi. The player currently playing for Nam Dinh Club played aggressively, attacking and defending regularly and taking on the task of scoring goals. Meanwhile, real strikers such as Nguyen Tien Linh, Pham Tuan Hai, Dinh Thanh Binh played poorly, not meeting the expectations of coach Kim Sang-sik as well as fans.

COACH K IM S ANG-SIK SOLVES THE ATTACK PROBLEM

There is no need to say more about the class of Nguyen Xuan Son and his role in the Vietnamese national team. However, the Brazilian striker is still recovering from an injury suffered at the 2024 AFF Cup and is expected to return at the earliest in September 2025. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese national team will face Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on June 10. This match is very important for the Vietnamese national team, because Malaysia is a direct competitor with coach Kim Sang-sik's team for the top spot in the group and a ticket to the final round of the biggest tournament in the continent.

While struggling to find a way to fill the void left by Xuan Son, coach Kim Sang-sik has an even bigger headache with the case of Bui Vi Hao. The young striker of Binh Duong Club suddenly suffered a serious injury and is expected to be off the field for at least 6 months, certainly unable to serve the Vietnamese team in the next 3-4 matches in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup (in June, October, November). Commentator Vu Quang Huy said that this is a big loss and will affect the strength of the Vietnamese team in the coming time. Also according to commentator Quang Huy, Mr. Kim Sang-sik is building a playing style that is less dependent on strikers. "This is a way of playing that helps the Vietnamese team not get stuck when the main attackers are stuck. The formula of Tien Linh acting as a wall, then the players below like Nguyen Hai Long or Chau Ngoc Quang rushing up to create surprises has proven effective. This will be a feasible option for the Vietnamese team to approach the opponent's goal," commented commentator Vu Quang Huy.

Mr. Huy added: "However, the strikers of the Vietnamese team need to improve their performance. Tien Linh and Tuan Hai are still expected to have better performances. They still have time as there are about 8 rounds of V-League taking place before the Vietnamese team faces Malaysia. Besides, coach Kim Sang-sik can hope for new factors to play well in the domestic arena in the coming time. Cong Phuong deserves to return to the team if he maintains his high performance, or the outstanding faces of the U.22 Vietnam team who played well in the recent friendly tournament in China can also be given the opportunity."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/noi-lo-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-185250402204812841.htm