Expert: "U22 Malaysia is no match for U22 Vietnam"

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Former Vice President of Professional Affairs of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Duong Vu Lam, assesses that the Vietnam U22 team is significantly stronger than the Malaysia U22 team. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team will defeat their opponent to win first place in Group B.

Following their resounding 4-1 victory over U22 Laos on December 6th, U22 Malaysia temporarily leads Group B in the men's football event at the 33rd SEA Games. U22 Malaysia has the same 3 points as U22 Vietnam, but they are ranked higher due to a better goal difference (4-1 compared to 2-1).

However, Duong Vu Lam, former Vice President of the VFF and former head of the U22 Vietnam team that created the "Changzhou snow miracle" in 2018, believes that in terms of professional ability, the current U22 Malaysia team is far inferior to the U22 Vietnam team.

According to Mr. Lam, we are capable of defeating U22 Malaysia to win first place in Group B. The real challenge for the team under coach Kim Sang Sik will only appear from the semi-finals onwards. This was said in an interview with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper one afternoon in early December.

Former VFF Vice President and former head of the U22 delegation, Duong Vu Lam (far right), at the 2018 Asian Championship (Photo: TH).

Malaysian youth football has declined in recent years.

What is your assessment of the upcoming match between Vietnam U22 and Malaysia U22?

- In my opinion, even if this match ends in a draw, it would still be a huge failure for the Vietnam U22 team. Malaysian football has not done a good job of youth development for many consecutive years.

Malaysian youth teams have failed to make a significant impact in international tournaments for many consecutive years. They rely too heavily on naturalized players. The Malaysian national team's victory over Vietnam in the Asian Cup qualifiers in June was merely an anomaly. And that anomaly, as we know, stemmed from a series of naturalized players with problematic backgrounds.

Therefore, without the aforementioned naturalized players, the remaining Malaysian teams, including the U22 Malaysian team, would not be a match for the U22 Vietnamese team.

The Malaysian youth teams (in yellow jerseys) have not been strong in recent years (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

According to the U22 Malaysia squad for the SEA Games 33, coach Nafuzi Zain's team still has a naturalized player, namely Fergus Tierney, who is of Scottish origin. Will this player be added to the squad for the match against U22 Vietnam on December 11th?

- I've watched this player compete in many tournaments, and he hasn't shown anything special. His technique is average. He's not particularly sharp when playing as a striker. His strongest point is just his physique.

However, in terms of physique, it's not certain that the players in Southeast Asia right now will pose a challenge to the Vietnam U22 team. The current generation of young Vietnamese footballers have good physiques. The stature of many players in the Vietnam U22 team is sufficient to compete with any team in Southeast Asia in physical challenges and aerial duels.

Speaking of the technique of naturalized striker Fergus Tierney, this is a common weakness of young Malaysian players at the moment. In terms of technique, fluidity, and match experience, the Vietnamese U22 players are superior to their Malaysian counterparts.

Long-term strategy

So, what are the strengths of the current Vietnam U22 team, sir?

- Our current squad possesses excellent ball control skills, among the best in Southeast Asia for their age group. In all their recent matches, the U22 Vietnam players have consistently demonstrated confidence in their ball control. The team's ability to coordinate in small groups is also improving.

The reason the team achieved this, besides technical skills, also stems from the fact that coach Kim Sang Sik did an excellent job of psychologically coaching the players. He instilled confidence in his players.

Coach Kim Sang Sik does a good job of providing psychological support to the players (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

Furthermore, as mentioned, thanks to their good stature and physique, the U22 Vietnam players are not bad at aerial play. Their ability to handle set pieces always makes their opponents wary.

With so many strengths, why didn't the Vietnam U22 team win convincingly against Laos U22 in their opening match?

- Whether we win big or not depends on the timing, the opponent's form, and our own strategy. In terms of timing, the opening match is always very difficult, even for big teams, not just for representatives of Vietnamese football.

Regarding the opponents' form, the U22 Laos team, or any other team in Southeast Asia facing representatives of Vietnamese football at this time, will try their best, within their capabilities. These opponents always see Vietnamese teams as a benchmark in Southeast Asian tournaments; they play with determination and are extremely relaxed psychologically.

For them, losing to a top contender like the Vietnam U22 team is normal. Therefore, playing against opponents with such relaxed mindsets is never easy. The current situation of the Vietnamese teams is exactly the same as that of the Thai representatives when they dominated Southeast Asian football a few years ago.

Strategically, we're participating in the SEA Games aiming for the championship, not just playing one or two matches and then going home. Therefore, we can't expose all our strengths to our opponents right from the first match. Furthermore, the U22 Vietnam - U22 Laos match takes place before the U22 Malaysia - U22 Laos match, so how can we know the goal difference beforehand to make a comparison?

The further you go in the tournament, the stronger the competitors become.

So who will be Vietnam U22's main rivals at the SEA Games 33?

- Although football always holds surprises, theoretically, the strongest teams, and those most likely to pose a challenge to Vietnam U22 in this year's tournament, will be the host nation Thailand and Indonesia U22.

As for the U22 Thailand team, they once again reflected the top-tier quality of Thai youth football training in the region. In their match against U22 Timor Leste on December 3rd, the young Thai players played fast, with few touches, and their style of play was quite modern.

Thailand U22 has a rather modern playing style (Photo: FAT).

However, compared to the generation of Thonglao or Chanathip at the same age, the current U22 Thai players lack the same level of "cunning" and "trickiness" as their predecessors. Without that cunning, the U22 Thai forwards are not as sharp as the youth teams of Thai football in previous years.

And what about the Indonesian U22 team? How is the team from the land of a thousand islands doing right now?

- They are a real unknown quantity for the Vietnam U22 team. Many of the Indonesian U22 players participated in the 2024 AFF Cup, so their experience is a strong point.

The quality of youth football training in Indonesia is not bad. The combination of local players (goalkeeper Ardiansyah, defenders Muhammad Ferarri, Kadek Arel, Dony Tri Pamungkas, and forward Hokky Caraka) with naturalized players (midfielder Ivar Jenner, forward Rafael Struick, and Jens Raven) makes this team a very unpredictable opponent for the Vietnam U22 team.

If the Indonesian U22 team continues to field as many naturalized players as they do now, their playing style could be similar to that of the Indonesian national team. It would be a fast-paced, powerful style, combining technical skill and physical fitness.

Vietnam U22 aims for the championship title (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

Returning to the Vietnam U22 team, will the absence of midfielder Nguyen Van Truong and striker Bui Vi Hao affect us?

- These absences have significantly impacted the entire team. Van Truong and Vi Hao are both among the best players in their respective positions within their age group, for Vietnamese football. These two players stand out from many of their teammates in the current Vietnam U22 team, and from the general standard of Southeast Asian football, in the positions they play.

The fact that these players are injured (Van Truong) and not yet fully recovered from injury (Vi Hao) is a significant loss for the Vietnam U22 team. If they were available, the quality of the Vietnam U22 squad would be even better, and the danger in our attacks would increase even further.

However, the impact of the absence of the aforementioned players may only become apparent when we face truly strong opponents, perhaps from the semi-finals onwards. As for the group stage, as I mentioned, opponents like U22 Laos and U22 Malaysia haven't posed much difficulty for Coach Kim Sang Sik's team.

Thank you for the conversation!

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/chuyen-gia-u22-malaysia-khong-phai-la-doi-thu-cua-u22-viet-nam-20251207202838784.htm