The height problem of U.22 Vietnam
Vietnam U.22 faces two important tournaments in 2025, with the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers taking place in September, along with the 33rd SEA Games taking place in December in Thailand.
As the Vietnam national team is in a pivotal transitional phase, the performance of the U.22 team, which is closest to the top level, will help coach Kim Sang-sik and experts clearly see the future of Vietnamese football in the coming years. Because today's young players will soon wear the national team jersey, and will be the backbone for important tournaments such as the 2027 Asian Cup (if they pass the qualifying round) or the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.
U.22 Vietnam enters important tournament in the last 4 months of the year
However, to conquer success, U.22 Vietnam needs many factors. Among them, height is one of the most important aspects. Currently, U.22 players of coach Kim Sang-sik such as Bui Vi Hao (1.75 m), Nguyen Dinh Bac (1.79 m), Nguyen Thai Son (1.71 m), Khuat Van Khang (1.68 m) all have not outstanding height.
This is not the first time height has been mentioned. U.23 Vietnam participated in the 2024 U.23 Asian Championship with a height of only 1.763 m, one of the shortest teams in the tournament. 6 years ago, U.22 Vietnam also participated in the 30th SEA Games with an unimpressive height of 1.76 m. At the 2024 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team fought with a "tiny" midfield, when 6 out of 7 midfielders were not taller than 1.7 m.
Year of the snake, chatting with 'poisonous snake' Kim Sang-sik: Loves MU, likes Zidane and is addicted to pho
In the above tournaments, the Vietnam national team and U.23 Vietnam both had good results as an affirmation of the story that not everyone... tall has everything. However, when football is increasingly calculating and pragmatic with the height and physical strength of players improving day by day, it is undeniable that height will bring advantages to the teams.
Defender Doan Van Hau and center back Nguyen Thanh Chung have saved U.22 Vietnam many times thanks to their jumps with a height of over 1.8 m. Or the defense line with an average height of 1.81 m used to be the pride of the Vietnam team under coach Park Hang-seo, when helping the team no longer have nightmares in defending high balls.
Goalkeeper Trung Kien (yellow shirt, middle) is 1.90 m tall.
But at the moment, coach Kim Sang-sik is lacking "poles". For example, the young defender duo Le Nguyen Hoang (1.77 m) and Nguyen Manh Hung (1.75 m) are both of average height. And in the attack line full of short players, Van Truong (1.82 m) is a rare player with good height, but has had limited opportunities to play in recent times.
Coach Kim Sang-sik looking for 'pole'
Overall, coach Kim Sang-sik’s young players need more than just pure height. They need physical strength, endurance, ability to collide, body thickness… to stand up to strong opponents.
However, if we look at Mr. Kim's direct and muscular approach at the national team level, with the criteria of playing football as quickly as possible, not long and high kicks... it is clear that the Korean coach needs taller, more muscular and thicker players for the big goal.
In the V-League, there have been young players with good height who have been given opportunities. Pham Ly Duc of HAGL is proof. The central defender born in 2003 has played all 11 matches for HAGL since the beginning of the tournament and played 990 minutes. Ly Duc is 1.82 m tall and is considered by technical director Vu Tien Thanh to have great potential. He, along with goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (1.90 m), will bring to U.22 Vietnam more "steel" in high balls.
Overseas Vietnamese player Viktor Le is 1.78 m tall, has skillful feet and good ball-blocking ability, and is also an ideal option for coach Kim Sang-sik to mold a flexible midfield. Also from overseas Vietnamese, defender Zan Nguyen, although only 19 years old, is already 1.9 m tall. He only entered the field for a few minutes in his debut match for Ho Chi Minh City Club and although he has not shown much, he has a good foundation with a thick body, muscles and good footwork.
Coach Kim Sang-sik will take advantage of the training sessions in 2025 to test the "young shoots". Let's wait for the strong U.22 Vietnam team to take shape before entering the most important goals.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dang-lo-chieu-cao-cua-u22-viet-nam-ong-kim-can-them-nhung-cay-sao-185250128104218492.htm
Comment (0)