List of U23 Vietnam: Behind the 'conservatism' of coach Kim Sang Sik

The list of U23 Vietnam preparing for the U23 Asian qualifiers still includes familiar faces. This somewhat "conservative" choice from coach Kim Sang Sik of course has its reasons.

Not a new list

Looking at the newly announced list of U23 Vietnam players, it can be seen that coach Kim Sang Sik has full faith in the squad that just won the U23 Southeast Asian tournament with him.

The names that have been established and played together throughout the regional tournament continue to be given opportunities. The presence of Tran Thanh Trung is the only highlight. The Vietnamese-American midfielder is a necessary addition to the creative problem in the midfield, rather than a sign of a personnel revolution.

Tran Thanh Trung is the only new player of U23 Vietnam in the U23 Asian qualifiers.

This way of choosing people makes people feel that coach Kim Sang Sik is too safe, even conservative when not giving opportunities to other potential new factors.

In the context that V-League has started and some young faces have begun to leave their mark, "framing" the squad with old players can be considered a non-breakthrough step.

However, to understand Mr. Kim's decision, it is necessary to look at the context and pressure that U23 Vietnam is facing.

Calculated caution

Asking the question “Why is Coach Kim Sang Sik conservative?” is also looking for an answer from the actual context. Firstly, the 2025 SEA Games takes place right after the Asian U23 qualifiers, this is the playground where Vietnamese football always aims to win medals.

Therefore, having a stable team is a prerequisite. Coach Kim Sang Sik needs a familiar and well-coordinated squad to tackle two important upcoming tasks.

But it is understandable that Mr. Kim Sang Sik finds it difficult to take risks.

Second, the U23 Asian qualifiers taking place in Phu Tho in September do not allow coach Kim Sang Sik much time to experiment. With only a few days to gather, calling up many new faces is a risky gamble, because the players will not have enough time to integrate, get used to the philosophy and create the necessary cohesion with the whole team.

In particular, the tournament format increases pressure: only the team at the top of the table is sure to advance, so in this context, safety in personnel selection becomes the most reasonable option.

It can be said that Coach Kim Sang Sik's "conservatism" is not simply a lack of courage to innovate, but a solid calculation for short-term but extremely important goals for both the Korean captain himself and Vietnamese football.

The new may not come right away, but what fans are waiting for is the way coach Kim Sang Sik exploits and upgrades the current team to turn the "old" into real strength, capable of competing not only at the Asian Finals (if they get tickets) or the SEA Games at the end of this year.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/danh-sach-u23-viet-nam-phia-sau-su-bao-thu-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-2435993.html