Every 'machine' needs to warm up, U.23 Vietnam is not to blame for not winning brilliantly

Looking at the starting lineup in the match against Laos U.23 team, many fans expected the Vietnam U.23 team to have a great debut in the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship. However, the 3-0 victory was not enough to satisfy the majority.

Vietnam U.23 team completes the goal

After the defeat, coach Ha Hyeok-jun frankly admitted: "As expected, the U.23 Vietnam team is too strong. We prepared well but could not make a difference". The starting lineup of the U.23 Vietnam team has 9 players who regularly play in the V-League, 2 first-class players, center back Hieu Minh, right back Anh Quan, are important factors in the top teams PVF-CAND Club, Ninh Binh . Those are the reasons why fans have high expectations.

The U.23 Vietnam team still controlled the game very well, creating many opportunities and goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien almost did not have to work. However, in some decisive situations, the players were not really sharp. In addition, the players also lost the ball regrettably. On the field, center back Pham Ly Duc shouted loudly in the first half: "Losing the ball too much, guys, focus."

The U.23 Vietnam team has not won by a large margin, but that is not too worrying - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Over time, the U.23 Vietnam team played better and scored 3 goals. But in the context of opponents like Indonesia and Malaysia having had resounding victories, Vietnamese fans became more impatient. Perhaps, that was unnecessary. Because the U.23 Vietnam team achieved the 2 most important goals: winning all 3 points and preserving the force (no penalty cards and no injuries).

Dinh Bac unexpectedly had to practice separately, Cong Phuong was confident he could compete with his senior.

Coach Kim Sang-sik must calculate

The 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship takes place at a fairly high frequency, with the Vietnam U.23 team only having 2 days off before the match against the Cambodia U.23 team. If they reach the semi-finals and finals, the competition frequency will be 3 days/match. This means that the team needs to distribute their strength reasonably, avoiding "burning" their physical strength right from the first match.

It is easy to see that after scoring the opening goal, the U.23 Vietnam team proactively slowed down the game, controlled the ball more to avoid collisions, and limit the risk of injury. Players who worked at high intensity such as Thai Son, Van Truong, Dinh Bac... were also given an early break to save their energy and maintain the best physical condition for the more important matches ahead.

The U.23 Laos team also actively defended from the start, causing some difficulties for Phi Hoang and his teammates - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

The U.23 Vietnam team did not suffer any unfortunate injuries after the match, which is extremely important in a short tournament. Compared to teams that had a great victory in the opening match and then lost steam in the later stages, Mr. Kim's somewhat strict and pragmatic approach could be the key to helping the U.23 Vietnam team go far in this year's tournament.

U.23 Thailand won big on the opening day, Coach Thawatchai confidently aims for the championship cup

Another important thing is that the U.23 Vietnam team also revealed some weaknesses and coach Kim Sang-sik also saw it. In the first half, when Anh Quan and Quoc Viet did not play well on the right wing, the Korean strategist changed these two positions right at the beginning of the second half. When the plan of Van Khang playing on the right was not effective, Mr. Kim pushed the midfielder of The Cong Viettel Club into the middle and almost immediately, Van Khang scored. Compared to the U.23 Vietnam team winning brilliantly, making everyone happy, a sufficient victory is much more useful.

The 3-0 scoreline against Laos U.23 team may not be really "satisfying" emotionally, but in many aspects such as tactics, physical strength, and competitive psychology, it is a good start. When the "machine" of Vietnam U.23 gradually heats up and tactical adjustments are more perfected, fans can completely expect more impressive victories in the road ahead.

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-may-nao-cung-can-lam-nong-u23-viet-nam-khong-dang-trach-khi-chua-thang-tung-bung-185250720153048284.htm