The journey of two generations of Vietnam national team begins

CONTINUE TO REFRESH the team

In the November gathering, coach Kim Sang-sik did not gather the U.23 generation to join the Vietnamese national team. Young players were given priority to go to China to play in the 2025 international friendly tournament (against U.23 China, U.23 Korea and U.23 Uzbekistan) from November 12 to 18. Therefore, the rejuvenation process temporarily stopped this month.

The journey of two generations of Vietnam team begins - Photo 1.

Vietnam team needs to change

PHOTO: MINH TU

However, the revolution in the national team will continue. Mr. Kim has called up new players, such as Khong Minh Gia Bao (Ho Chi Minh City Police Club), Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong (Becamex Ho Chi Minh City), Tran Bao Toan ( Ninh Binh ), and Nguyen Gia Hung - Mr. Kim's discovery in the previous training session.

Similar to the September training session, when new players like Tran Hoang Phuc and Dinh Quang Kiet were given trust, whether the new players can stay and compete for a starting position or not, the Korean coach's "searching for gold" in the V-League to find a new breeze for the Vietnamese team is still a commendable effort.

The Vietnamese team needs to continue to reform with a competitive wind in all lines. It is easy to see that many positions of the team are falling into personnel turmoil, such as goalkeeper, center back, left back, central midfielder... However, in 2025, which is reserved for purifying the national team, this is a... pleasant instability. Because Mr. Kim needs to shuffle the lines to select good factors, instead of fixing a framework from the beginning.

It was the turmoil before the AFF Cup 2024 that helped Mr. Kim discover Nguyen Dinh Trieu, Doan Ngoc Tan, Bui Vi Hao, Nguyen Hai Long. These were all factors that played "supporting roles" during the predecessor's time, but they suddenly shone, contributing to bringing the Vietnamese team to the top of Southeast Asia.

Although not all new players are strong enough to become pillars like Dinh Trieu and Ngoc Tan, each face brings hope for change. The two matches against Nepal in October showed that the Vietnamese team has reached its limit, both physically and in terms of playing ideas. Change is needed, because stepping out into the big Asian sea (even in the Southeast Asian playground), Mr. Kim's students may have to face strong teams like Japan, Korea, or Indonesia with around 15 naturalized players.

The Vietnamese team needs a new look, and when many key players have reached their limits, ideas will come from gems that have not been explored for a long time.

OPPORTUNITY FOR GIA BAO AND VIET CUONG

While the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has yet to finalize the penalty for Malaysia losing the matches against Vietnam and Nepal due to the accusation of document forgery, the Vietnamese team still has to win both remaining matches to keep their hopes alive. In particular, the match against Laos is the match Quang Hai and his teammates must win big to restore confidence.

Kim's determination is evident in the call-up list. New recruits are called up, but the main color scheme is still veterans. Kim wants to ensure safety.

However, just like the way the Korean coach used young central defender Pham Ly Duc (second half of the match against Malaysia), or goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, central defender Nguyen Hieu Minh (starting match against Nepal), the new players will still have space to prove themselves, even if it is only for a few minutes in the match taking place in Laos.

Young center back Gia Bao may be able to play in the match against the Vietnamese team, but he is unlikely to be under much pressure in the defense. Gia Bao is difficult to compare with the main players, but he has a good style of play, good at tracking and has a desire to prove himself. This is the factor that creates a potential solid piece in the defense, where many familiar faces have declined.

The duo Viet Cuong and Gia Hung also have a chance to prove themselves, when Mr. Kim needs to refresh the attacking system which is lacking in playing ideas. The common point of both is the ability to press and cover well, helping the direct playing style with fast, high balls of the Vietnamese team to have more reliable destinations.

Against an opponent like Laos who has lost 14 goals in the last 4 matches, Coach Kim's attack needs to "open fire" again to regain confidence. A sublime match is of great significance, for the new recruits to be more confident on their new journey.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bat-dau-hanh-trinh-cua-hai-the-he-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185251107221806789.htm