TIME FOR TRANSITION HAS COME
The 2024 AFF Cup championship is a stream of fresh water to cool Vietnamese football after a two-year "drought". Once again, the Vietnamese team flew high thanks to the grace of a Korean coach. With tactics, strategies and the strategy of using people "knowing yourself and your enemy", coach Kim Sang-sik made good use of the abilities of the veteran players (born from 1995 to 1998), interwoven with new elements such as Dinh Trieu, Ngoc Tan, Vi Hao, Van Vi... to create an army capable of conquering the Southeast Asian playground.
Young players are the future of Vietnamese football.
However, coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized that "the AFF Cup championship is purely the beginning". The humble mentality and readiness for new challenges were shown by Mr. Kim and his team right after the moment of glory. The players returned to the hustle and bustle of the V-League, and coach Kim Sang-sik urgently made plans for 2025. The Korean strategist mentioned the phrase "rejuvenating" the Vietnamese team many times. Mr. Kim's students will aim for two key goals: the 2027 Asian Cup (if they pass the qualifying round) and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, both in 2027, when Quang Hai, Xuan Son, Tien Linh will be 30 years old, while Hoang Duc and Tuan Hai will also be 29 years old. This group of players has done their mission very well, and the Vietnamese team cannot continue to rely on a fixed vertical axis. The transition in the national team is inevitable.
Young talent Bui Vi Hao is a striker who is attracting attention on domestic football fields.
Photo: Ngoc Linh
Coach Kim Sang-sik is ready to welcome a new generation of players, because for him "young faces are the future of Vietnamese football". In the friendly matches from September to November 2024, many young players were entrusted with trust. Although at the AFF Cup 2024, the pressure of achievements in a short period of time forced Mr. Kim to use a safe option (prioritizing experienced players), in the long term, the former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors coach is still ready for a rejuvenation strategy. In 2025, the Vietnamese team will compete in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers with 6 matches spread out over 6 training sessions from March 2025 to March 2026. The "long-term" nature of this tournament, with 4 out of 6 matches taking place against weaker opponents (Laos and Nepal), is a suitable springboard for the Korean coach to experiment, but can still aim for victory.
The Vietnamese team has had enough favorable conditions to welcome the new generation. What about "human harmony"?
" GOLD MINE" TO DREAM OF WINNING SEA GAMES
Among the 10 players who played the most for the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024, only Bui Vi Hao is eligible in terms of age to play in the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. The striker born in 2003 has made remarkable progress in 2024: winning a starting position in the U.23 Asian qualifiers and playing quite well at the AFF Cup. What foundation has helped Vi Hao make such a breakthrough? The answer lies in the experience accumulated in the V-League. The striker of Binh Duong Club has played in the V-League since 2022 (when he was only 19 years old) and has played 74 matches so far, including 48 starting matches. Vi Hao always plays at least 75% of Binh Duong Club's matches each season.
Vietnamese youth football still has a long way to go
In addition, Coach Kim Sang-sik has many promising young faces: Thai Son of Thanh Hoa Club with 54 matches in V-League (45 starting matches), Xuan Tien of SLNA also has 56 matches in V-League despite being only 22 years old, or goalkeeper Trung Kien (HAGL) has affirmed his position since the beginning of the season. In addition, there are Van Truong (Hanoi), Van Khang (The Cong Viettel), Ly Duc (HAGL) or Quoc Viet (Ninh Binh)...
Mr. Kim will have two important campaigns: the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers (taking place in September) and the 33rd SEA Games (December) to test his students' abilities. These are two important playgrounds for experts to see the level of the next generation. Expert Doan Minh Xuong affirmed: "The performance of the young generation will show the shape of Vietnamese football in the next 10 years. The future of Vietnamese football will start from today, right from this moment". This is not only a test for the young generation, but also a "coming of age ceremony" that Vi Hao and his teammates must go through, to prove that they are ready to take on the role of their seniors to shoulder the responsibility of the national team in the coming years.
To prepare for the two youth playgrounds, Coach Kim Sang-sik will apply the "combing" strategy, interweaving young players with experienced players in moderate doses in the Vietnam national team's training sessions in 2025. Letting generations guide each other is the most suitable path for the whole team to grow.
The U.23 Vietnam team won the 30th SEA Games in 2019 and the 31st SEA Games in 2022. The goal of Mr. Kim and his team at the 33rd SEA Games is still to aim for the gold medal. Although winning the "gold" in the Southeast Asian playground is no longer an obsession for Vietnamese youth football, the U.23 Vietnam team still needs a good performance to create a stepping stone for the Asian playground. At the most recent SEA Games, the U.23 Vietnam team won the bronze medal, behind the U.23 Indonesia (gold medal) and the U.23 Thailand (silver medal).
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tuong-lai-bong-da-viet-nam-bat-dau-tu-hom-nay-185250123220705046.htm
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