Expert: "Xuan Son and Tien Linh know how to shine when playing together"

(Dan Tri) - Former coach of the Vietnam national team, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, assessed that coach Kim Sang Sik's team has improved their playing style and lineup compared to the match against the Philippines thanks to the bright spot of Nguyen Xuan Son.

Vietnam team beat Myanmar 5-0

How do you evaluate the Vietnam team, looking at the match with Myanmar on the evening of December 21?

- Compared to the previous match against the Philippines, the Vietnamese team played much better in the match against Myanmar. This came from the fact that we used a better lineup than in the previous match, better players were used in the match against Myanmar.

Chuyên gia: Xuân Son và Tiến Linh biết cách tỏa sáng khi đá cặp cùng nhau - 1 — The Vietnamese team had a big win against Myanmar (Photo: Thanh Dong).

The even lineup helps the Vietnamese team make fewer mistakes, compared to when we faced the Philippines a few days ago. In attack, the players put more pressure on the opponent.

In particular, the appearance of naturalized player Nguyen Xuan Son has significantly changed the attacking power of the Vietnamese team.

Can you elaborate on Nguyen Xuan Son's role in the Vietnamese team's attack?

- His presence in the forward line helps the midfielders of the Vietnamese team have space and points to pass the ball. Other positions in the formation, even with the defenders when they pass long or join the attack, they also have points to bring the ball up.

Chuyên gia: Xuân Son và Tiến Linh biết cách tỏa sáng khi đá cặp cùng nhau - 2 — Nguyen Xuan Son became the bright spot of the Vietnamese team (Photo: Thanh Dong).

With the presence of Nguyen Xuan Son, the attacking style of the Vietnamese team is clearer. On an individual level, this player handles situations well, rarely losing the ball after passes from teammates.

The Vietnamese team's forward passes towards Nguyen Xuan Son were often handled successfully by this player, before turning those passes into finishing opportunities, into scoring opportunities.

There have been concerns that the appearance of Nguyen Xuan Son has made the role of another striker, Nguyen Tien Linh, fade away. Did this happen in the last match?

- Also in the match against Myanmar, there was a time when both Tien Linh and Xuan Son appeared on the field. At that time, both of them scored. Tien Linh passed the ball to Xuan Son to score and vice versa.

Chuyên gia: Xuân Son và Tiến Linh biết cách tỏa sáng khi đá cặp cùng nhau - 3 — Tien Linh (right) still played well, despite having to compete with Xuan Son (Photo: Manh Quan).

The reality on the field has proven that these strikers can coordinate well with each other. They do not "step on each other's toes" when playing, in the way they move and coordinate with each other, with other teammates around them.

I think both Tien Linh and Xuan Son are professional, experienced players, they know what to do when standing next to each other on the field. They are supporting each other very well to shine together.

As for the Myanmar team, how did our opponent play?

- I still don't rate Myanmar too highly. They are physically strong, but their technique is not outstanding. Myanmar's playing style is quite predictable, because this style of play is not very sudden, and rarely changes according to the situation on the field.

I rate the Vietnamese team as much stronger than their opponents. As I mentioned before, the important thing for the Vietnamese team is that we stabilize our squad and our playing style. Once we do that, like the match against Myanmar, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team can reach the AFF Cup final.

Thank you for the conversation!