The midfielder problem of U.22 Vietnam
In the U.22 Vietnam training session in March to prepare for the training trip in China, Mr. Kim Sang-sik and acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh agreed to call up 8 players.
The U.22 Vietnam midfielders can be divided into 3 groups. The first group includes players who participated in the 32nd SEA Games (in 2023 in Cambodia), including Dinh Xuan Tien and Nguyen Van Truong. The second group includes overseas Vietnamese players such as Andrej Nguyen An Khanh and Viktor Le. Meanwhile, the third group includes the remaining players who are playing in the V-League or the first division.
U.22 Vietnam training
There are still 8 months for players to compete for positions. Surprises can happen, like 2 years ago, coach Philippe Troussier trusted Nguyen Thai Son at SEA Games 32 and then promoted him straight to the Vietnam national team even though he had not been called up for an international friendly match.
However, Thai Son rose thanks to the V-League foundation, in the Thanh Hoa Club environment with a training intensity that a player said was even... harsher than the national team. The foundation plays a core role in the progress of the players.
For a position that requires experience, vision, vision and physical strength like a midfielder, being able to play in the V-League is very important. The U.22 Vietnam coaching staff does not have many players like that.
Therefore, the competition is likely to take place between the old names: Van Truong, Xuan Tien, and Thai Son who have now been promoted to the Vietnamese national team to improve.
All three faces have more or less left their mark. Van Truong and Xuan Tien have something in common, as they are both midfielders, but were promoted to play as strikers thanks to their good physique. Xuan Tien even won the top scorer title of U.23 Southeast Asia 2023 when playing as a "false striker", while Van Truong was once placed highest in the attack line by Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan in the U.20 team and Mr. Troussier.
Van Truong (left) and Xuan Tien
However, coach Kim Sang-sik's priority is probably still to let Van Truong and Xuan Tien play as midfielders. Because this is still the position both of them have trained in at the club (because the striker position naturally belongs to foreign players), so they are more proficient and familiar with this position.
This is the support of coach Kim, when Vietnamese-American midfielders like Viktor Le and Andrej Nguyen An Khanh have not yet stood out. Viktor Le handles the ball "well", but is still not flexible, and his physical foundation is a question mark (he has only started 6 matches this season). Andrej Nguyen An Khanh is somewhat clumsy, not handling the ball neatly. Both of them also do not speak Vietnamese well enough to communicate fluently with their teammates.
Apply the formula in the Vietnam team?
According to expert Doan Minh Xuong (head of the school football department of the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation), coach Kim Sang-sik will create a close connection between the Vietnamese team and the U.22 team, because the U.22 team is a stepping stone to train the next generation for the national team.
Therefore, the two teams are likely to have similar playing styles and operating philosophies, such as playing with a 3-4-3 formation, in which the 2 central midfielders are built according to the basic formula: 1 player holds the ball, regulates the play and handles it creatively to open up the attack, the other sweeps, cleans up and intercepts to support the defense.
The role of blocking in the national team is assigned to Doan Ngoc Tan. At the U.22 level, Thai Son can follow in his senior's footsteps. Not only do they play for Thanh Hoa Club, but Thai Son also has similarities in the ability to run all over the field, compete passionately and not be afraid of collisions despite being physically inferior.
Thai Son (red shirt) is wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey.
The shortcomings of the midfielder born in 2003 are haste, sometimes not choosing the right position, often being swept away by the opponent's playing style and not being able to adjust his mentality (also known as mental endurance) to keep up with the pace of play in intense matches. However, Thai Son is only 22 years old, there is still time to practice.
As for the role of controlling the midfield and controlling the rhythm, Van Truong is the number one candidate. He was given a starting position by Mr. Kim in the match between Vietnam and Russia (September 2024), in the role of central midfielder alongside his senior Hung Dung. Van Truong has shown his strengths in shielding, having many ideas for developing the ball and a stable way of thinking.
But like many other young players, the midfielder of Hanoi Club is not mentally strong, still abuses personal techniques and does not know how to handle situations neatly.
The midfielders need to compete to improve themselves for important tournaments. Let's see how coach Kim Sang-sik will "polish" them.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phien-ban-hoang-duc-va-ngoc-tan-o-u22-viet-nam-xuat-hien-gap-thay-kim-dang-doi-185250313120102783.htm
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