What does coach Kim Sang-sik need in V-League?
The 2024 AFF Cup championship bears the mark of coach Kim Sang-sik. Not only building a varied playing style and encouraging the players' spirit, the Korean coach also discovered the "late bloomers" from the V-League.
These are players who, although not well-known in the national team (and have never been called up to the national team before), have since gained a foothold and created resounding success in the AFF Cup.
Doan Ngoc Tan (white shirt) is an interesting discovery of teacher Kim.
We can mention Doan Ngoc Tan, a defensive midfielder born in 1994 at Thanh Hoa Club. Ngoc Tan and Van Vi are names that have never been on Kim Sang-sik's radar before. He was added to the preliminary list for the 2024 AFF Cup, then took the "late train" to Korea for training. In just 10 days of training in the land of kimchi, Ngoc Tan convinced coach Kim Sang-sik to give him a starting position. He became a mainstay in the midfield, with his pressing ability, wide range of activities and persistent fighting spirit, helping the Vietnamese team overcome many difficult challenges to win the AFF Cup.
Many people wonder: why did a good player like Ngoc Tan have to wait until he was 30 years old to breathe the national team air for the first time? Could it be that previous coaches like Park Hang-seo and Philippe Troussier did not see the potential of this player!?
The answer lies in suitability. Each coach has his own philosophy and tactics. And corresponding to that will be certain suitable players, to help the tactics operate effectively. Ngoc Tan has not been called up to the national team before because coach Park Hang-seo or Troussier have their own favorite players according to their own perspectives. But at present, Ngoc Tan was chosen because he has everything that coach Kim Sang-sik needs in a midfielder: energetic, enthusiastic, resilient and good at tracking. It is a matter of the right person, the right time.
Coach Kim's discoveries such as Ngoc Quang, Dinh Trieu, Van Vi, Vi Hao were also selected for the national team for this reason. They are good, and that good is consistent with coach Kim Sang-sik's team building philosophy.
Coach Kim Sang-sik confirmed that he will renew the team in an interview with Thanh Nien Newspaper.
When he first took over the Vietnamese team, coach Kim Sang-sik reused the squad of his predecessor Park Hang-seo. He prioritized experienced players who could meet the intensity of international competition. However, that was when Mr. Kim did not have a specific philosophy and tactics, but was still in the testing and exploration phase. When he had already defined the playing style, the Korean coach boldly eliminated veterans like Hung Dung, Ngoc Hai, and Cong Phuong to choose personnel who, although controversial, were suitable according to his personal opinion.
“Mr. Kim used new players despite the controversy, which was a brave and admirable decision. Coach Kim Sang-sik wanted to take the Vietnamese team on a separate path, not overlapping with anyone else,” expert Doan Minh Xuong assessed.
Find new factors
Coach Kim’s philosophy of shaping the national team has taken shape. Correspondingly, the philosophy and criteria for finding people have been completed. With that set of criteria, Coach Kim Sang-sik will easily choose the right factor for the playing style. Whether it is veterans like Tien Dung, Duy Manh, Xuan Manh, Hoang Duc, or “rough gems” like Ngoc Tan, Dinh Trieu…
Although there are still many controversies about the quality of the field and expertise, or being "framed" with the defensive counter-attacking style of play that depends on foreign players in some teams, it cannot be denied that: V-League in recent years still has new things.
For example, the success of Thanh Hoa Club. With limited human resources, coach Velizar Popov still created a disciplined and strong team, won 3 cups in 2 years and proudly held BG Pathum (a strong team of Thailand) to a draw on the away field. Thanh Hoa team introduced Ngoc Tan, Thai Son... to the Vietnamese team and in the near future may find more interesting new players from this club. Or like the "late bloomer" Dinh Trieu who rose from difficulties, showing that even in an old playground with many people, it is still possible to add new faces.
Dinh Trieu (middle) won the best goalkeeper award of AFF Cup 2024
Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that he always prioritizes players with great ambition, fighting spirit, will to improve and a desire to learn. Spirit is the most important thing that Mr. Kim mentioned many times in the criteria for building a strong team. In the V-League, there are still many "warriors" waiting for Mr. Kim to awaken.
“I will go to the football field very hard to find the right person,” coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed. Hopefully, the Vietnamese team will be even more fresh when the V-League is ready.
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