The future of Vietnam team is here!

The road to rejuvenation continues

One of the achievements coach Philippe Troussier has made in his 1 year leading the Vietnamese team is creating opportunities for many young talents.

The younger generation has not left the same impression as the seniors many years ago. However, there is a way to go. The Vietnamese team needs to rejuvenate to prepare the next generation to be ready to take on the responsibility in the near future.

Van Khang (14) and Dinh Bac (15) were both summoned.

In the September training session, coach Kim Sang-sik called up Bui Vi Hao and Nguyen Van Truong. Both were considered by Mr. Kim as "the future of Vietnamese football". While Van Truong started both matches against Russia and Thailand, Vi Hao also played two matches from the bench. Vi Hao and Van Truong's performances were still "flawless", but they were a necessary first step for the two young talents to gain more experience and confidence.

In this training session, the Vietnamese team welcomed many more young talents. These are the returns of faces that Mr. Troussier once trusted such as Nguyen Thai Son (2003), Khuat Van Khang (2003), Nguyen Van Viet (2003), Nguyen Dinh Bac (2004) and Nguyen Van Viet (2002). In addition, the "king of the youth tournament" Nguyen Quoc Viet (2003) is also on the list.

This is the next generation to look forward to in the Vietnam team. Van Khang, Dinh Bac, Thai Son, and Quoc Viet were part of the U.20 Vietnam team that defeated U.20 Australia and U.20 Qatar in the 2023 Asian tournament. With Van Truong and Quoc Viet in the squad, U.23 Vietnam won the U.23 Southeast Asian championship in 2023.

This season, most of the above young stars have secured positions in their home teams. Thai Son and Vi Hao are pillars of Thanh Hoa and Binh Duong clubs. Goalkeeper Van Viet has started 3 matches since the beginning of the tournament for SLNA, consolidating the position of SLNA's youngest captain. Goalkeeper Trung Kien of HAGL has kept a clean sheet in all 3 matches since the beginning of the tournament.

Goalkeeper Trung Kien kept a clean sheet in all 3 first matches of the season

Or with Dinh Bac, it was the goal against Lion City Sailors Club in the Southeast Asian tournament, along with a starting position in the star-studded attack line of Hanoi Police Club.

That is to say, not to mention the favoritism that coach Kim Sang-sik has for young players, but purely speaking in terms of expertise, the players in their early twenties in this training session are completely worthy of being named. In terms of performance in the V-League, they are not inferior to any of their seniors.

Need to be skillful in 'combing'

The performance of the Vietnamese national team's main players over the past year clearly shows that many players no longer have motivation or ambition, cannot improve their abilities, and their inertia in playing style is very high.

Promoting many young players to the Vietnam national team is the path that Coach Park Hang-seo, Troussier have taken and Mr. Kim Sang-sik is the one who continues. Taking advantage of friendly matches to call young stars to the national team is a "best strategy". It not only helps the coach evaluate the ability and level of the players, but also creates a competitive motivation, forcing older players to make efforts to protect their positions.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's point of view is relatively clear: players who practice well will be given priority. The case of Van Truong with 2 starting matches against Russia and Thailand is an example.

Coach Kim Sang-sik is not afraid to trust young players

However, using young players in the right "dosage" is an issue that coach Kim and his colleagues should consider.

While in office, Coach Troussier prioritized starting positions for many young players such as Phan Tuan Tai, Vo Minh Trong, Nguyen Van Tung, Thai Son, Dinh Bac... even though these players were inexperienced and not superior to the senior generation. Risking the present to prepare for the future caused the French coach's seat to "collapse" after 1 year.

This is a warning for coach Kim Sang-sik. Rejuvenation is good, but it is necessary to combine youth and experience at a reasonable level. Young players can easily be "forced to mature" and lose themselves if they are forced to shoulder too much responsibility when they are not capable enough.

However, the good news for Mr. Kim is that the two friendly matches in October (against India and Lebanon) will be easier than the opponents that the Vietnamese team had to face before. Against teams of equal strength, the Korean coach can comfortably "tweak the teeth" to see whether the young team has enough potential to trust or not.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-goi-hang-loat-sao-tre-tuong-lai-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-la-day-185241002133236113.htm