Coach Kim Sang Sik interviewed by Tuoi Tre newspaper - Photo: DANH KHANG
In an interview with Tuoi Tre yesterday (July 31), Coach Kim Sang Sik shared: "I am very happy to win the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship with the Vietnam U23 team. This is the second trophy that my players and I have brought to Vietnamese football. I am very proud of my players. Through this tournament, I see that they have matured a lot, and will be even better in the upcoming campaigns."
Understanding Vietnamese football
During the conversation, Coach Kim Sang Sik expressed his admiration for Mr. Park Hang Seo - the senior who has brought much joy and pride to the Vietnamese people. At the same time, he gave him many pieces of advice to be able to better lead Vietnamese players.
"With what Mr. Park has done for Vietnamese football, it will probably be very difficult to surpass him. I will try my best to follow Mr. Park's achievements," said Mr. Kim.
Confess
But it feels like coach Kim Sang Sik did better than his senior in his first year in charge of Vietnam. While Mr. Park is determined to stick with the existing squad, Mr. Kim is willing to give opportunities to new and young players.
The elimination of experienced players in V-League such as Dinh Xuan Tien, Ho Van Cuong to give opportunities to Xuan Bac, Vo Anh Quan (playing in the First Division), Cong Phuong (19 years old) has shown the ability to see people of
Mr. Kim.
All three players played well in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. Especially Xuan Bac, who took the starting position from Thai Son - an experienced player in the V-League. Xuan Bac even scored the decisive goal in the 2-1 victory over U23 Philippines in the semi-finals. Cong Phuong also played consecutively in the semi-finals and finals, scoring the only goal in the victory over host U23 Indonesia in the championship match.
Coach Kim Sang Sik admitted that using new players instead of famous players also put him under a bit of pressure in the last tournament. But the important thing is that he needs to find players who meet the tactics of each match, so the opportunity is open to any player.
Actively looking for more talent
Coach Kim Sang Sik affirmed that winning the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship will help U23 Vietnam regain confidence. "Thailand has home field advantage at the SEA Games taking place in December. But if U23 Vietnam prepares well, there is nothing to worry about.
The Vietnamese team also won against Thailand on their home field at the ASEAN Cup 2024. That will be the motivation for the U23 players to confidently compete at the 33rd SEA Games,"
he said
However, coach Kim Sang Sik said that he and his coaching staff will continue to monitor the V-League and the First Division to find new players to strengthen the U23 Vietnam team. He emphasized:
"Certainly, through the tournament in Indonesia, opponents will study U23 Vietnam more carefully. Therefore, we will calculate the plan to renew our team. From now until SEA Games 33, there will be many changes. We will add personnel, opponents
same goes for the goalkeeper".
Although he was concerned that young Vietnamese players had few opportunities to play in the V-League to gain experience and grow, coach Kim Sang Sik believes that success in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship will be a stepping stone for young players to play more at their home clubs.
He said: "V-League has many good players but they have not had the opportunity to show their full potential. Young players need to try harder to have an official position in the club. Through the tournament in Indonesia, I saw them clearly mature. Therefore, I believe they will have the opportunity to play in the domestic tournament."
The team's door is always open for players
Coach Kim Sang Sik affirmed that the players who just participated in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament are all quality players. What he needs to do in the coming time is to build consistency in terms of playing style for the national team and the Vietnam U23 team.
"When there is this unity, the players will easily integrate into the playing style of the teams every time they come to practice. Both the U23 Vietnam team and the national team are always open to
every player".
Mr. Kim also affirmed that if the U23 players develop well, they will have the opportunity to wear the Vietnamese national team jersey in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. The U23 Vietnam team currently has 7 players who have been called up to the Vietnamese national team, but not everyone has had the opportunity to play except Khuat Van Khang and Pham Ly Duc.
Mr. Kim said: "Many of the players in the past have the ability to help the team better. The coaching staff and I will continue to monitor their growth through the domestic tournament. The door to the national team is always open to them."
the players".
In fact, gradually promoting U23 Vietnam players to the national team is necessary for Vietnamese football. Because in addition to their demonstrated abilities, young players also need the opportunity to compete in the Vietnam national team to further mature, thereby creating a good next generation for Vietnamese football.
I am also fighting with the player
Talking about the act of bowing to the referee in the final match against U23 Indonesia, coach Kim Sang Sik explained: "It was almost time to end, the players were very tired so they could lose focus and make mistakes. I was also a bit excited, so I thought I had to do something to show the players that I was also fighting with them.
That's how I create effective energy for them. I decided to react to the referee to prolong the match and increase the drama. That's also part of the strategy. At that time, the players have more time to rest, calm down and focus on the match. My reaction is also part of football."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-da-viet-nam-tu-tin-huong-den-thanh-cong-moi-20250731221000167.htm
Comment (0)