FROM YOUTH FOOTBALL TO CAHN CLUB
Vietnamese youth football is currently experiencing a period of great success, with the U23 team winning the Southeast Asian Championship, the SEA Games, and finishing third in Asia. Following that, the U17 team also won the Southeast Asian Championship, reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Championship, and qualified for the World Cup. Around the same time, the V-League witnessed the dominance of Hanoi Police FC (CAHN), leading second-placed The Cong Viettel by 11 points and having a 95% chance of securing the championship early.
The common thread among these three events is that their success stemmed from superior gameplay. Coach Kim Sang-sik's U23 Vietnam team showcased a fast-paced, physically demanding, and highly scientific pressing style, with a high-pressing formation, seamless passing, and the rare feat of dominating opponents in set pieces to score. Coach Cristiano Roland's U17 Vietnam team continued this spirit, presenting a strategy of controlling possession and short passes to build attacks, with well-organized formations and intelligent movement and ball handling by the attacking players. Meanwhile, CAHN FC reclaimed the throne with a committed attacking style, skillful ball control, and precise one-two passing.
The Vietnamese team is ready for a fiery attacking performance.
Photo: MINH TU
The progress of the youth teams and CAHN Club is proof of the shift in Vietnamese football thinking. The model of defensive counter-attacking, playing with a straightforward, spirited style... is a thing of the past. Vietnamese clubs and national teams are pursuing a consistent formula for success: controlling the game through intricate passing sequences from the defenders, relentless pressing, quick transitions, and overwhelming opponents with lightning-fast attacks. Coach Kim's Vietnamese national team is following this path, clearly illustrated by their 3-1 victory over Malaysia in the final match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Instead of playing cautiously and pragmatically, Vietnam swept away their opponents with fast-paced, short-passing attacks, with two of the three goals coming from combinations lasting only 6-10 seconds.
NEW PHILOSOPHY
At the 2024 AFF Cup, coach Kim Sang-sik opted for a playing style that still retained traces of caution and safety, due to insufficient time to build team identity and refine the players. However, after two years, the 2026 AFF Cup will be the ideal arena for the Vietnamese national team to impose its new philosophy. According to a key player, Coach Kim encourages his players to move the ball forward, approaching the opponent's goal in the quickest and most efficient way possible, minimizing unnecessary movements. The South Korean strategist wants to build a team with an attacking orientation.
Mr. Kim has two advantages. First, there is the synchronized shift in the mindset of football as mentioned. Strong teams today, such as CAHN FC, The Cong Viettel, Hanoi FC, etc., all pursue an imposing and control-oriented style of play, thus creating an ideal environment for shaping players' thinking. Youth teams are also being oriented towards modern pressing football, so the line of succession has been "bound" and shaped from when players are in their twenties.
At the same time, Mr. Kim has sufficient building materials. The two naturalized foreign players, Xuan Son and Hoang Hen, both possess the physique, strength, and vision of European-class players, enough to solve the goal-scoring problem. Among the young talents, Dinh Bac stands out as a versatile striker with superior ball control, scoring ability, and off-the-ball movement. Ngo Van Khoa, a striker born in 2006 who has played 11 matches for the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club this season, is also a prime example of youthful energy and modern footballing thinking.
Coach Kim is carefully selecting and retaining only those players whose physical fitness and tactical mindset are suited to the new playing style. During their training camp in South Korea next month, the Vietnamese team will conduct a final rehearsal of their tactics, preparing for their journey to defend their title.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-se-choi-tan-cong-ap-dat-o-aff-cup-185260516203236272.htm
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