Cong Phuong's problem for coach Kim Sang-sik

Cong Phuong is not the choice of coach Kim Sang-sik in the Vietnam national team. But in the context of the attack line being damaged by injuries and declining performance, Mr. Kim cannot leave this striker out of the preparation plan for the match with Malaysia. What Mr. Kim is concerned about now is probably how to use him appropriately.

Cong Phuong is so outstanding

Vietnam's national football team is counting down the days to play Malaysia in the second round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. The format of only selecting the strongest team in the group to qualify for the final round has both Vietnam and Malaysia considering this a "life and death" match. Malaysia's coach Peter Cklamovski asked the team to gather from May 16, which is nearly a month before the match with Vietnam at Bukit Jalil Stadium. He asked the Malaysian Football Federation to withdraw Sergio Aguero and Dominic Tan from the list of ASEAN All Stars, and to push forward the naturalization process for two players, Hector Hevel and Gabriel Palmero. The careful preparation of the team and the time to gather is enough to show how much Malaysia is eager to win against Vietnam.

Cong Phuong exploded in Binh Phuoc .

That is also the pressure for coach Kim Sang-sik. After the match with Thailand in the AFF Cup 2024 final that took place 4 months ago, the Korean coach has to face a tough opponent. During the recent time, Mr. Kim and his colleagues have spread from the First Division to the V.League, aiming to select talented players for the Vietnam National Team. Luck was not on Mr. Kim's side. The "Golden Star Warriors" attack line has lost its mainstays. Van Toan has a relapse of his hamstring injury despite only returning in early March. Worse, Vi Hao and Xuan Son are out until the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Thanh Binh, Tien Linh, and Ngoc Quang have fluctuating form. The most reliable name, Hai Long, does not play center forward in Hanoi or the Vietnam National Team.

The most dangerous attack of the AFF Cup 2024 is no longer itself after only 4 months. That forced coach Kim Sang-sik to choose another face for the training session next month. Right at the time when Mr. Kim was worried, Cong Phuong played too well in the First Division. In the last 3 matches, this player scored 3 goals and had 3 assists. 6 goals from Cong Phuong's shoes helped Binh Phuoc have 9 absolute points, thereby maintaining the second place in the final table.

Notably, Cong Phuong has shown himself to be extremely sharp in his free kick ability. In the last 2 consecutive matches, he scored 3 goals from direct free kicks. That is something that rarely appears in the history of Vietnamese professional football.

How to use Phoenix effectively?

Over the past year, coach Kim Sang-sik has not called up Cong Phuong. In the early stages of his tenure, he had no information about the striker born in 1995. Simply, he disappeared from Yokohama FC's squad. That is the reason why at the beginning of this season, Phuong had to return to Vietnam with an invitation from the First Division team Binh Phuoc. But even when Cong Phuong returned home, Mr. Kim still did not care. The 2024 AFF Cup became the second consecutive Southeast Asian tournament in which this player was absent from the Vietnam national team. Experts tried to find a reason to explain why coach Kim Sang-sik did not give Cong Phuong a chance. They agreed that this player is very strong in decision-making. But on the contrary, he is not the type of striker who is active in disputes and active when moving. Besides, with Cong Phuong's class, leaving him on the bench also created a lot of controversy.

The story of Cong Phuong not being selected for the Vietnam National Team was soon put aside, when Tien Linh and Xuan Son played so well at the AFF Cup 2024. Even after Xuan Son was injured, Tien Linh's outstanding scoring performance in the V.League in the early stages of 2025 was enough to convince fans to forget about Cong Phuong.

But as analyzed from the beginning, this is not the time when the strikers under coach Kim Sang-sik are physically fit or sharp in front of the opponent's goal. On the contrary, Cong Phuong has asserted himself in the 2024/25 season, with 9 goals and 4 assists to date.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has no reason not to call up the Vietnam national team. And what worries him now is obviously how to use him effectively, once he has given the 30-year-old player a chance. In fact, Phuong still played… not well throughout the match. Apart from the situations that showed his star value in the goals, Cong Phuong did not contribute much to Binh Phuoc's game. This is an issue that not all fans care about, especially when they are easily convinced by Cong Phuong's goals.

At the age of 30, the Nghe An striker’s stamina has been significantly affected. His defensive awareness has not been outstanding since before. The fact that Cong Phuong plays wide like in Binh Phuoc also makes it difficult for coach Kim Sang-sik to put him in a suitable role. Phuong can hardly play as a central midfielder like Quang Hai and Hoang Duc. But letting him play as a striker from the start is also not a feasible solution.

Based on his physical foundation and explosive performance in the final minutes of the match, putting Cong Phuong on the field in the last 25 minutes, in the role of an attacking midfielder or striker, is considered suitable for coach Kim Sang-sik. At that time, Phuong can develop more in his decision-making ability and create turning points. In addition, his physical strength is also abundant enough to participate more in the situations of the Vietnam National Team, from counter-attacks to long-range defense.

Cong Phuong speaks out for Vietnam National Team

After scoring his 9th goal for Binh Phuoc this season, Cong Phuong expressed his joy at contributing to the success of his team. On this occasion, the 30-year-old player also wished to return to the Vietnam National Team. He shared: I always tell myself to try to practice every day. I will try to contribute to the club, hoping that the team will be promoted. As for the Vietnam National Team, when the team needs Phuong, I am always ready."

This is not the only time Cong Phuong has given the above message. Right after joining Binh Phuoc, this striker affirmed that he would try his best if the Vietnam National Team called him back.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/van-hoa/bai-toan-cong-phuong-cho-hlv-kim-sang-sik-i766618/