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

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

Vietnam team wins convincingly against Myanmar 5-0

How would you assess the Vietnamese national team based on their performance in the match against Myanmar on December 21st?

- Compared to the previous match against the Philippines, the Vietnamese team played significantly better in the game against Myanmar. This is due to using a better lineup and employing better players 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 secured a resounding victory against Myanmar (Photo: Thanh Dong).

The well-balanced squad helped 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 arrival of naturalized player Nguyen Xuan Son has significantly changed the attacking strength of the Vietnamese national team.

Could you elaborate on Nguyen Xuan Son's role in the Vietnamese national team's attacking strategy?

- His presence in the forward line gives the Vietnamese national team's midfielders space and opportunities to pass the ball. Other positions in the lineup, even the defenders, when they make long passes or join the attack, also have opportunities to move the ball forward.

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

With Nguyen Xuan Son's presence, the Vietnamese national team's attacking style is more defined. Individually, he handles situations well and rarely loses possession after passes from his teammates.

The Vietnamese team's attacking passes towards Nguyen Xuan Son were often successfully controlled by him, before he converted those passes into scoring opportunities.

There were concerns that the appearance of Nguyen Xuan Son would overshadow the role of another striker, Nguyen Tien Linh. Did this happen in the recent match?

- Also in the match against Myanmar, there was a moment when both Tien Linh and Xuan Son were on the field. At that time, both scored goals. 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) is still playing well, despite having to compete with Xuan Son (Photo: Manh Quan).

The reality on the pitch has just proven that these forwards can coordinate well with each other. They don't "step on each other's toes" during the game, in their movement and coordination with each other and with other teammates around them.

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

And what about the Myanmar team? How did our opponents play?

- I still don't rate Myanmar very highly. They are physically strong, but their technical skills aren't particularly outstanding. Myanmar's playing style is quite predictable, as it lacks unpredictability and doesn't adapt well to the situation on the field.

I rate the Vietnamese team as significantly stronger than their opponent. As I've mentioned before, the most important thing for the Vietnamese team is to stabilize our core squad and our playing style. Once we achieve that, like in the recent match against Myanmar, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team can reach the AFF Cup final.

Thank you for the conversation!