What coach Kim Sang-sik is missing in the Vietnam team

The Vietnamese team began training yesterday (November 11) to prepare for the match against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, a match in which coach Kim Sang-sik's team is under pressure to win big and win beautifully.

THE HEADACHE OF TEACHER K IM

Coach Park Hang-seo's Vietnam team created a golden age in the 2018 - 2022 period with a series of achievements, such as winning the 2018 AFF Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup.

However, the last 6 months of Mr. Park's time (second half of 2022) witnessed a team running out of ideas. The defense was still solid, but the attack gradually lost energy, leading to the desire to build a controlling and imposing style of play against opponents of equal level becoming distant.

After 3 years, the Vietnamese team is following the same path as before Mr. Park left his position. Coach Kim Sang-sik still has the core players that his predecessor, his compatriot, built, such as Duy Manh, Xuan Manh, Tien Dung, Hoang Duc, Tien Linh, Quang Hai... The only difference is that some of the core players have lost their form.

Best goalkeeper of AFF Cup 2024 Nguyen Dinh Trieu and top scorer of AFF Cup 2024 Nguyen Xuan Son

Xuan Son trains with the Vietnamese team

PHOTO: Nhat Anh

The Vietnamese team won the AFF Cup 2024 thanks to the inspiration of Xuan Son (the Brazilian striker alone scored 7 goals, contributing 33% of the team's goals despite only playing 5 matches). When Xuan Son was injured, the problem was exposed again. In both matches against Nepal, Vietnam played below their best. They won 3-1 in the first leg thanks to the opponent's mistake, then won 1-0 in the second leg thanks to an own goal in a sluggish, lifeless match.

The Vietnamese team is at the "low point" of the transition process, when the old generation is gradually reaching the sunset of their careers, while the new generation (U.23 and rookies) is just taking the first steps.

Hoang Duc, the soul of the team's midfield

Coach Kim Sang-sik is open to new winds, as shown by the number of new players always being at 15-20% of each call-up. However, not everyone is like Dinh Trieu or Ngoc Tan, quickly becoming a pillar. In the group of new players, there are those who only called up a couple of times and then "disappeared". New players need time, and the pressure to win makes time a luxury for coach Kim.

However, because he only met Laos in November, and the situation in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers was favorable (the Malaysian Football Federation failed to appeal, and there was a high risk of being awarded a 0-3 loss to Vietnam and Nepal), Mr. Kim could take the opportunity to experiment. Viet Cuong, Gia Bao, Gia Hung, Van Viet... are likely to be trusted.

New recruits may not be effective, but the Korean coach has to try so that he can see the potential of his students and sketch out new ideas. What Mr. Kim lacks is freshness, and the opportunity to find something new hidden behind the "rough gem".

NEW STREAM OF VITALITY

In the match that closes the 2025 transition year, the Vietnamese team needs to get rid of the inertia they had against Nepal, to play brilliantly on the Laos field.

31 goals against Laos in the last 8 matches is a statistic that signals a big win for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team. However, it is not easy to balance the goals of scoring many goals, testing the squad and upgrading the playing style.

Against an opponent who is almost certain to defend deep, the Vietnamese team needs to control the ball more systematically and smoothly to find space to break through the "concrete". Soulless crosses like in the matches against Nepal or Malaysia should be avoided.

To do so, Mr. Kim needs the midfield with Hoang Duc and Thanh Long to be more mobile and creative. The attack line needs more coordination ideas, when Tien Linh and Hai Long are still lost. Xuan Son has returned and even though he may only play a few dozen minutes against Laos, those are still precious minutes for Mr. Kim to "recharge" his attacking energy. New recruits Viet Cuong and Gia Hung promise to have a chance to perform. Both are in their prime (25 years old), have a neat playing style, and are muscular enough for the Vietnamese team to have a new plan.

In the defense that has been constantly in turmoil recently, Van Viet can start (like Trung Kien was given the opportunity), besides the "strange bird" Gia Bao has the opportunity to join the 3-man defense that also needs competition to upgrade.

Hopefully, despite the lack of the U.23 generation, the pressure from the rookie team is enough for the Vietnamese team to upgrade. Mr. Kim has opened the door to change, the remaining work is the efforts of the players, especially those who want to step into the light to shoulder important responsibilities in major tournaments in the next 2 years such as AFF Cup 2026, Asian Cup 2027, World Cup 2030 qualifiers.

Yesterday afternoon's training session (November 11) marked the return of striker Xuan Son. The player born in 1997 returned after nearly a year of absence to treat an injury. Xuan Son confirmed that he has reached 100% physical condition after a high-intensity training session at Nam Dinh Club, so he is physically fit to play the full 90 minutes against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dieu-hlv-kim-sang-sik-con-thieu-o-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185251111220812487.htm