Under coach Park Hang Seo, the Vietnamese team has experienced a glorious era when it became the dominant force in Southeast Asian football. After the miracle of winning the runner-up position at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the “Golden Star Warriors” continued to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Games.
The achievements of the youth team were the foundation for the national team to win the 2018 AFF Cup championship, to be the only representative of Southeast Asia to enter the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia, in addition to winning the gold medal in men's football at two consecutive SEA Games in 2019 and 2022.
However, recently, the Vietnamese team has slowed down and been dethroned. On a regional scale, Thailand regained the top spot by winning the last two AFF Cups. On a continental scale, Indonesia is currently the only representative of Southeast Asia participating in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Vietnamese team seems to be in a transitional phase. After the failures, doubts have appeared. However, at the regional level alone, there are always “Vietnamese football heroes”.
This September, Hanoi Police Club welcomed Lion City Sailors to Hang Day Stadium in the Asean Club Championship. Witnessing this club-level match, ESPN journalist Gabriel Tan, a prestigious writer who has been following Southeast Asian football in particular and Asia in general for many years, reported on the match as follows: “Leo Artur shone brightly with 3 goals, opening the score in the 30th minute and scoring two more goals later, including a beautiful long-range shot to complete the hat-trick.
However, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Le Van Do also made an impression when they started for the first time in the tournament and both scored, contributing to the home team's sublime performance.
It would be easy to assume that the biggest threat to the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) would come from Nguyen Quang Hai, the star of Vietnamese football during its heyday. However, instead, although Quang Hai played a key role in the No. 10 position, it was Dinh Bac and Van Do who really caused chaos for the Sailors’ defense.
Despite starting out wide, the two players often moved into the middle and their constant interchange with Artur and Quang Hai left the visitors completely disoriented at times. This allowed full-backs like Vu Van Thanh and Jason Pendant to push forward to support the attack…”.
Gabriel Tan also predicted that "some of the country's young talents are proving why Vietnamese football continues to be a formidable force".
If any Vietnamese person, be it an expert or a seasoned writer, were to use the lens of a club level to make similar predictions about the future of the country's football, he or she would be ridiculed by the crowd as being too optimistic, too naive, or even... not knowing anything about football...
Van Do and Dinh Bac, two talents who impressed ESPN reporters, will not participate in the AFF Cup 2024 because coach Kim Sang Sik has more reliable options. Of course, Van Do and Dinh Bac are both young and the future for both of them in the national team is always open. The absence of this duo only proves that Vietnamese football is always full of talent.
After the group stage ended, Gabriel Tan’s prediction was partly correct. The Vietnamese team won the top spot in Group B. After 4 matches, the “Golden Star Warriors” won 3, drew 1, earned 10 points, and achieved a goal difference of +9 (scored 11 goals and conceded 2). That result built up the trust of fans on the journey to reaffirm their position in the regional arena.
In the first tournament leading the Vietnamese team, Coach Kim Sang Sik also gradually shaped the tactics and personnel. In the matches, the Korean strategist continued to use the 3-center-back formation (based on the two variations of 3-4-3 and 3-5-2) like his predecessors.
The official lineup has been somewhat determined. In goal is goalkeeper Nguyen Filip, the three central defenders are Do Duy Manh (left), Nguyen Thanh Chung (center) and Bui Tien Dung (right).
Left winger Nguyen Van Vi is showing himself to be the most trustworthy player while on the opposite wing, coach Kim Sang Sik still depends on the situation and opponent to alternately use Vu Van Thanh, Truong Tien Anh or Ho Tan Tai.
In midfield, “sweeper” Doan Ngoc Tan was trusted, starting in 3 consecutive matches and only missing the final match of the group stage to ensure physical fitness. Nguyen Hoang Duc and Quang Hai took turns playing with the midfielder of Thanh Hoa Club. It was not until the match against Myanmar that this duo was arranged to play together from the start.
On the attack line, with what Nguyen Xuan Son has shown, it is clear that the Brazilian striker is sure to have a starting position. The question is who will Xuan Son play alongside?
If we want to fully exploit the leadership and breakthrough abilities of Hoang Duc and Quang Hai, the Vietnamese team must use the 3-5-2 formation. Tien Linh is the most suitable name to pair with Xuan Son.
In fact, in the final minutes of the victory over Myanmar, the duo found each other in the two goals that sealed the score. This was also a team arrangement that made the most of the "Golden Star Warriors" top-class players.
However, in the way coach Kim Sang Sik uses troops, it is easy to see that this military leader does not stick to one plan but improvises. Even in the position of the central defender, which is the team's throat, besides Thanh Chung, Mr. Kim still uses Bui Hoang Viet Anh, a player who always brings peace of mind.
In addition, Pham Xuan Manh was frequently used in the right center-back position; Chau Ngoc Quang, Nguyen Hai Long, Le Pham Thanh Long were given opportunities in the midfield; while Bui Vi Hao, Pham Tuan Hai, Dinh Thanh Binh continuously appeared in the attack line every time the Vietnamese team used a 3-striker formation. Unfortunately, Van Toan was injured and had to miss the semi-finals.
In general, coach Kim Sang Sik is quite flexible in using people and tactics. However, the Vietnamese team's attack is not very systematic, smooth and varied. Therefore, in all 4 group stage matches, the "Golden Star Warriors" could not score in the first half and at many times "lost" ideas to penetrate the opponent's defense.
The goals/victories of the Vietnamese team all bear the mark of stars, or in other words, the shining moments of players who know how to create breakthroughs. In the match against Laos, the deadlock was broken by Hai Long's volley that burned the net, then Tien Linh decided the result with his killer instinct.
In the victory over Indonesia, Quang Hai scored the only goal in a familiar explosive situation. The last-minute escape against the Philippines came from a corner kick arrangement. And against Myanmar, Nguyen Xuan Son was simply the big difference.
With the presence of the Brazilian striker, the “bottleneck” in the Vietnamese team’s attack has been basically resolved. The speed, ability to sweep, break through, and finish of this striker is simply at a different level compared to the Southeast Asian level.
Of course, the Vietnamese team should not be too dependent on Xuan Son. Coach Kim Sang Sik needs to build an attacking plan so that Quang Hai, Hoang Duc or Tien Linh can show their value. In fact, in the group stage, even in the match against Myanmar, these players still shined alongside Xuan Son, just like the way CAHN's domestic players shined alongside Leo Artur. That is something worth noting in the way the Korean strategist uses people.
The appeal of the AFF Cup 2024 has been questioned as many national teams have not called up their strongest squads. However, when interviewed by Dan Tri , veteran expert Steve Darby gave his opinion:
“I don’t think the tournament has lost its appeal and glamour to fans. Perhaps the biggest draw for spectators is nationalism. Southeast Asian fans are not naive, they know that their team will not win the World Cup or even the Asian Cup (although I think this is getting closer).
Therefore, winning a tournament like the AFF Cup is a rare and exciting experience.”
The assessment of the former head coach of the Vietnamese women's team is increasingly accurate, with ticket fever spreading from Jalan Besar to Viet Tri. At Jalan Besar, where Singapore will host the Vietnamese team in the first leg of the semi-final on December 26, long lines of people are crowding around the stadium hoping to get tickets to enter the stadium.
Ticket prices are listed at 49, 35 and 24 Singapore Dollars (SDG, equivalent to 920,000, 657,000 and 450,000 VND, respectively). Due to high demand for tickets, speculators are selling tickets at more than double the price on the black market. A first-class ticket that costs 49 SDG is being marked up to more than 100 SDG (nearly 2 million VND).
In Vietnam, the VFF also had to announce that tickets were sold out less than an hour after announcing the sale of tickets for the second leg of the semi-final on December 29. It is worth mentioning that the ticket fever did not have to wait until the semi-finals. For both group stage matches of the Vietnamese team, the Viet Tri stadium was sold out and all the stands were packed with fans.
That proves that the fans did not abandon the team and the team did not let the fans down. Emotional parties are still ahead.
Vietnam.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tuyen-viet-nam-dau-an-ngoi-sao-va-khat-vong-hoi-sinh-chinh-phuc-aff-cup-20241224193855422.htm
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