What kind of wings will the Vietnam U22 team have?

In coach Kim Sang Sik's tactical plan, the U22 Vietnam team's wing-backs are crucial for delivering high crosses into the box for the forwards to finish.

Is Van Khang the first-choice left-back? - Photo: NK

After the tactical adjustments and experiments in the recent tournament, which "wingers" will Coach Kim choose for his campaign to win the gold medal at the SEA Games 33?

Flexible "wings"

At the recent Panda Cup 2025 in China, Acting Head Coach Dinh Hong Vinh deployed two different pairs of full-backs in each half.

In particular, the pair Khuat Van Khang (left) - Vo Anh Quan (right) started twice in the 1-0 win against U22 China and the 0-1 loss against U22 South Korea. The duo Phi Hoang (left) - Minh Phuc (right) started in the 0-1 loss against U22 Uzbekistan.

Looking back at the journey to winning the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship in Indonesia last July, Coach Kim Sang Sik's number one "wing duo" was Phi Hoang and Anh Quan.

This duo started all four matches and made many good passes that contributed to the victories of the Vietnam U23 team. At that time, Van Khang was deployed as a left winger while Minh Phuc came on as a substitute for Anh Quan in the second half.

However, things changed in the 2026 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers in September in Vietnam. In this tournament, coach Kim Sang Sik constantly rotated the squad, starting Phi Hoang - Anh Quan, Van Khang - Minh Phuc, and then Phi Hoang - Minh Phuc in all three matches.

Despite some limitations in experimenting with personnel on the wings, the Vietnam U23 team still won all three matches against Bangladesh U23 (2-0), Singapore U23 (1-0), and Yemen U23 (1-0) to secure a ticket to the continental finals early next year.

Which is option number 1?

Coach Kim Sang Sik's difficulty lies in having too many quality players on the left flank. Both Van Khang and Phi Hoang are excellent, so choosing who to play left back is sometimes a tough decision for Coach Kim. The choice of who to start between these two players sometimes depends on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing team.

Van Khang has played for the Vietnamese national team under both coaches Philippe Troussier and Kim Sang Sik. Therefore, his composure and international experience are his strengths. He also possesses a fairly good finishing ability. However, Phi Hoang surpasses Van Khang in terms of physical fitness and the ability to dribble down the wing at high speed. In particular, Phi Hoang's crosses are very accurate.

According to statistics from the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF), Phi Hoang is the leading player in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship with the most decisive passes creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Specifically, he made 12 passes, more than Robi Darwis (Indonesia, 11 passes) or Van Khang (10 passes). In particular, in the semi-final match against the Philippines U23 team alone, Phi Hoang assisted Dinh Bac and Xuan Bac twice, helping the Vietnam U23 team come from behind to win 2-1 against the Philippines U23 team.

In the 2026 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Phi Hoang, who came on as a substitute for Van Khang at the start of the second half, was the one who passed the ball to Van Thuan, who headed in the only goal in the victory against U23 Singapore.

On the right wing, Minh Phúc's rise over Anh Quân in the final stages of preparation for the SEA Games also forced coach Kim Sang Sik to consider who would start at the 33rd SEA Games. Minh Phúc scored the only goal for the Vietnam U22 team in their victory against host China U22 at the Panda Cup 2025, despite only coming on as a substitute.

More importantly, he is showing good form for Hanoi Police FC (CAHN), scoring 1 goal in 5 appearances (2 starts) in the V-League 2025-2026. This is an impressive number for a young defender playing for a star-studded team like CAHN. Notably, he is even better than Dinh Bac - his teammate, striker at CAHN, who has played 9 matches but has yet to score a goal.

Minh Phúc's strengths lie in his skillful ball handling, accurate passing ability, and speed in escaping opponent's pressing. In addition, his keen tactical awareness allows him to make quick and effective decisions.

The race between Minh Phúc and Anh Quân from now until the SEA Games 33 will therefore become even more intense.

Vietnam U22 team plays in Bangkok.

Thai media reported yesterday (November 26) that the organizers of the 33rd SEA Games have decided to move 10 sporting events from Songkhla to Bangkok due to severe flooding there. This means that the Vietnam U22 team will compete in Group B of the men's football tournament in Bangkok instead of Songkhla as originally planned.

However, the official decision from host nation Thailand will only be made today (November 27). It is highly likely that coach Kim Sang Sik's team will play at Thammasat Stadium (Pathum Thani), about 50km from Bangkok. This is because Rajamangala Stadium, which hosts the Thai U22 team in Group A, will also be the venue for the semi-final and final matches.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/doi-canh-nao-cho-u22-viet-nam-20251127095856055.htm