Chinese media advises their team to play long balls because they are taller than Vietnam's U23 team: Coach Kim has a solution!

Chinese media pointed out a clear advantage of the Chinese U23 team over the Vietnamese U23 team: their physical stature. They also suggested that the Chinese U23 team should exploit aerial balls in the semi-final match.

Taking advantage of physical strength?

Chinese website Sina published a statistic: "The Chinese U23 team ranks second in height at the 2026 Asian U23 Championship, with an average height of 181.96 cm. This figure is only lower than that of Iran's U23 team. Vietnam's U23 team has the second-to-last average height in this year's tournament, at 177.39 cm. This means that China's U23 team has an advantage in aerial duels. Let's wait and see how China's U23 team utilizes its physical advantage."

The Chinese U.23 players (in red shirts) have a physical advantage.

Photo: AFC

Undeniably, the Chinese U23 team possesses many tall players. Notable among them are center-backs Peng Xiao (1.89 m), Zhang Aihui (1.91 m), midfielders Mutellip Iminqari (1.86 m), Wang Bohao (1.87 m), and forward Behram Abduweli (1.88 m). However, when advising the Chinese U23 team to play long balls, the Chinese website Sina failed to mention one thing: whether the Chinese U23 team will be able to retain possession and attack effectively in the upcoming match.

Whether attacking with aerial balls or ground passes, the attacking team must first control the ball before even thinking about passing it towards the opponent's penalty area. Ball control is an area where the Chinese U23 team is quite weak. This explains why they have had very few opportunities to get close to the opposing goalkeeper since the beginning of the tournament, and also why, after four matches, the Chinese U23 team has only scored one goal.

Apply pressure to prevent the opponent from comfortably passing the ball.

The only concern for the Vietnam U23 team is that the China U23 team will retain possession and constantly launch high balls into our penalty area, similar to what the UAE U23 team did in the quarter-finals. If they continuously launch high balls, our central defenders will have to constantly jump to win aerial duels, leading to muscle overload. Furthermore, if they constantly launch high balls, gaps in the Vietnam U23 defense will be exposed, giving the China U23 players opportunities to exploit those spaces.

But coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnam U23 team had a plan to counter it.

Photo: VFF

Even if the Chinese U23 players only occasionally manage a long pass or a high ball, the Vietnamese U23 center-backs, including Hieu Minh (1.84 m) and Ly Duc (1.82 m), are still capable of intercepting it. Furthermore, when needed, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team can reinforce their defense with center-back Le Van Ha (1.84 m) from the bench, improving the team's aerial ability.

Most importantly, as mentioned, the Vietnamese U23 players must apply enough pressure to prevent the Chinese U23 players from comfortably controlling the ball and freely passing high balls into our penalty area. Furthermore, if the Vietnamese U23 team attacks well in the semi-final, the Chinese U23 players will be disoriented by our attacks. They will then lack the composure, space, and time to execute accurate long ball combinations towards goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien's goal.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-trung-quoc-khuyen-doi-nha-choi-bong-bong-vi-cao-hon-u23-viet-nam-thay-kim-da-co-cach-185260119191736361.htm