Vietnam Team: Mr. Kim Sang-sik flexibly builds the attack, decisive match against Malaysia

WORRY ABOUT OVERLOADING OF GOODS

On May 18, in round 23 of the V-League 2024 - 2025, striker Pham Tuan Hai scored 1 goal and had 1 assist in a 5-1 victory over Ho Chi Minh City Club, helping Hanoi Club continue to cling to the top team Nam Dinh. However, after a dispute in the 61st minute, the striker born in 1998 had to leave the field on a stretcher. After consultation, the Hanoi Club coaching staff decided to replace him so that the doctors could wrap a bandage and apply cold compresses to his knee on the technical cabin. Fortunately, Hai's injury was determined to be not serious, he only needed to rest for a few days before he could return to training. Last February, Hai also had to rest for 3 weeks, luckily enough to participate in the last minute of the 2 victories of the Vietnamese team against Cambodia and Laos in March 2025. Therefore, Mr. Kim and his colleagues are closely monitoring Hai's injury situation to flexibly calculate for the Vietnamese team's attack in the important match against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Tuan Hai ( right ) just scored again and got injured

PHOTO: MINH HOANG

On June 10, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will travel to Bukit Jalil in the match that will decide the top spot in Group F with Malaysia. This will be a match where the Vietnamese team will be under great pressure, especially the strikers will have to shoulder the task of scoring goals and supporting the defense from a distance. Surely the front line will change a lot compared to the AFF Cup 2024 when the two main players, Xuan Son and Vi Hao, are absent for a long time due to injury. In addition to Tuan Hai, Mr. Kim also witnessed Tien Linh having to practice separately due to injury. In fact, Linh has been overloaded for a long time without a quality foreign partner, having to carry the Binh Duong Club's attack alone. The stars of the Vietnamese team have to compete in the decisive rounds of the V-League, so their physical condition will be something that Mr. Kim and the coaching staff are extremely concerned about.

FLEXIBLE ATTACKS FROM BOTH SIDEWALKS

In the V-League at the moment, Tien Linh is almost the only domestic player who regularly plays as a central striker, while Van Toan, Tuan Hai, Quang Hai, Hai Long, Van Duc, Dinh Bac... mainly play wide on the wing. The remaining player who can play similarly to Tien Linh is Dinh Thanh Binh, who is currently playing for Ninh Binh Club in the first division. Therefore, whether they want it or not, the Vietnamese team will have to prepare plans so that the attack line can still operate flexibly even when Tien Linh or Thanh Binh cannot play at their best. Fortunately, the second half of the V-League is witnessing wing strikers in high form, in which Van Toan returned after injury and scored 3 goals in the second leg. Quang Hai and Van Duc are also gradually regaining their sharpness in the Hanoi Police Club shirt.

Commentator Ngo Quang Tung commented: "The absence of Xuan Son and Vi Hao makes the Vietnamese team face the worry of lacking a true striker. In the V-League, only Tien Linh and Tuan Hai tend to play more clearly as strikers, while Dinh Thanh Binh is not a good enough solution. Tien Linh is leading the list of V-League 2024 - 2025 bombs with 11 goals, but after injury, he showed signs of stiffness and overload, while Tuan Hai is also in a similar state. But in the current conditions of Vietnamese football, coach Kim Sang-sik still has to use them if they are not injured because both can play well as strikers: acting as a wall, attracting the attention of the central defenders in the penalty area. In return, we have many options on both wings such as Hai Long, Quang Hai, Van Toan, Van Duc, Dinh Bac ... Therefore, it is likely that Mr. Kim will choose a flexible approach to be able to effectively use Tien Linh and Tuan Hai even when they are not in good form. to bridge the rocky satellites next to it".

According to Mr. Ngo Quang Tung, the circumstances of the match will provide reasonable suggestions for arranging the way of playing with the current players. "The Vietnamese team has the basis to choose a safe approach to the match, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. In addition to trying to score goals, the attack line is also the first shield when switching to defense. The 3-4-3 formation will have space for the wingers to move up into the penalty area, to put pressure on the opponent. But as said, the top priority will still be a solid way of deploying the ball because we have to play in a pressurized atmosphere at Bukit Jalil Stadium," he expressed.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-ong-kim-sang-sik-linh-hoat-xay-dung-hang-cong-quyet-dau-malaysia-185250520194505384.htm