U.22 Vietnam needs good strikers
The personal mark of striker Nguyen Xuan Son on the journey to win the AFF Cup 2024 of the Vietnamese team has shown how important it is to have a top-class striker to shape the playing style. An all-round striker can solve many problems, and for U.22 Vietnam to conquer the SEA Games, coach Kim Sang-sik needs a "precious gem" in the attack.
U.22 Vietnam won the 30th SEA Games with the duo Nguyen Tien Linh and Ha Duc Chinh scoring effectively (a total of 12 goals). Then at the 31st SEA Games, although the attack line no longer scored explosively, U.22 Vietnam successfully defended the gold medal thanks to a solid defense (clean sheet throughout the tournament).
Bui Vi Hao in the U.23 Vietnam shirt
However, the importance of the attacking player has not diminished. Coach Park Hang-seo has reserved one of the three over-age player slots for Tien Linh, and the striker born in 1997 has responded to his trust with very important goals against U.22 Indonesia (group stage) or U.22 Malaysia (semi-final) to pave the way to the throne.
However, it is necessary to recognize the fact that Vietnamese football lacks good strikers. The national team level has been "tired of eyeballs" in recent years and only found Tien Linh, before Xuan Son was naturalized because there was no other solution. For U.22 Vietnam, the problem is even more serious because young strikers have not had a chance to show their talent in the V-League for a long time.
Bui Vi Hao regularly plays in the V-League. At the age of 21, he has played 74 matches (49 as a starter), scoring 8 goals. However, Vi Hao is a winger. Although he has shown potential when playing 6 matches for the national team at the AFF Cup 2024, Vi Hao is not yet at the level to lead the game. The striker born in 2003 still has immaturity and clumsiness in his play that needs to be improved.
The bad news is that apart from Vi Hao, Mr. Kim's other strikers at the U.22 age group have all been lackluster in recent times. Nguyen Van Truong is a player who regularly plays as a center forward at the U.19 and U.22 levels from 2022 to present. He was also tested by coach Kim Sang-sik in the Vietnam national team during the September 2024 training session, but his performance was not convincing enough. At Hanoi FC, Van Truong has only started 5 matches this season (has not scored yet).
Dinh Bac (number 15) carries the attack?
Another potential striker, Nguyen Dinh Bac, is being given a chance by coach Alexandre Polking at the Hanoi Police Club (8 starts in all competitions, scoring 2 goals). Dinh Bac has a good physique with a height of 1.79 m, and has experience wearing the national team shirt since 2023. However, the slowdown in 2024 could be an obstacle, forcing the former Quang Nam striker to make more efforts. Coach Kim Sang-sik's other promising U.22 striker, Nguyen Quoc Viet, has not actually proven anything in the V-League and the first division.
Mr. Kim's screening
Coach Kim Sang-sik has used naturalized strikers to quench the thirst for goals for the Vietnamese team. But at the age of U.22, the promising overseas Vietnamese players at the moment such as Viktor Le and Zan Nguyen are not strikers.
Strikers like Dinh Bac, Quoc Viet, Van Truong and Vi Hao will still be the mainstay of U.22 Vietnam. Unless Mr. Kim finds a new factor, otherwise, we have to wait for the old factors to surpass themselves in the remaining 10 months before the SEA Games.
In general, the chances of the strikers to break through are still very clear. Vi Hao went from being a reserve player in the U.23 Vietnam team to a regular starter in the national team in just 6 months. Young players always have the potential to break through unpredictably. However, that energy needs to be accumulated through regular playing time at the club. If they are on the bench, it will be difficult for the player to maintain his feeling for playing football.
Coach Kim Sang-sik will take advantage of the upcoming training sessions of U.22 Vietnam to search for and test talent. If he cannot find a suitable striker, the Korean coach will build a tactical system suitable for the current players. Coach Kim Sang-sik's "measuring rice according to fish sauce" talent will be demonstrated at the 33rd SEA Games.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u22-viet-nam-tim-chan-sut-gioi-cho-sea-games-tieu-xuan-son-o-dau-18525020309254717.htm
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