The Vietnamese national team welcomes a new generation of central defenders.
Despite two unconvincing performances against Nepal (winning 3-1 and 1-0) in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, there are still positive signs for the Vietnamese national team.
The transition of personnel has begun, albeit in its nascent stages, but it marks the first step in coach Kim Sang-sik's journey to transform the national team.
In the return match against Nepal, Coach Kim trusted Hieu Minh in the defense. In return, the 2004-born center-back had a solid defensive performance, making good tackles and no mistakes. He also headed the ball to the opponent, causing them to awkwardly score an own goal, the only goal for Vietnam.
Hieu Minh (number 4) and Nhat Minh (number 16) have been called up to the Vietnamese national team.
PHOTO: MINH TU
In fact, the opportunity for Hieu Minh came partly due to the back injury suffered by key central defender Tien Dung. However, even if Tien Dung were fully fit, it is highly likely that Coach Kim would still place his trust in Hieu Minh. The South Korean coach affirmed to Thanh Nien Newspaper : "Some players from the Vietnam U23 team are perfectly capable of starting for the national team. The only issue is choosing the right time to use them."
With Hieu Minh's successful debut, coach Kim Sang-sik has gained more confidence in the young central defenders to revamp the defense, which has been the least volatile position in the Vietnamese national team for the past 7 years.
"Guardians" like Duy Mạnh, Tiến Dũng, and Xuân Mạnh matured from the miraculous spring in Changzhou in 2018, when the Vietnam U23 team won a historic silver medal at the Asian Championship. Duy Mạnh and Tiến Dũng subsequently became important pieces in Coach Park Hang-seo's defense for five years (2018-2022), with only Xuân Mạnh having fewer appearances.
After coach Philippe Troussier revamped the defense with Tuan Tai and Viet Anh, only to leave after an unsuccessful year, coach Kim Sang-sik arrived, bringing back key players from the Park Hang-seo era to solidify the defense.
The 2024 AFF Cup championship showed that experienced central defenders like Duy Mạnh and Tiến Dũng still retain their value due to their class, prestige, and understanding of the organizational culture within the Vietnamese national team.
However, considering longer-term goals (Asian Cup 2027, World Cup 2030 qualifiers), when the current key central defenders will be two or three years older, it's clear that coach Kim Sang-sik cannot simply stick to those few options.
Hieu Minh (left) is ready to follow in his senior's footsteps.
PHOTO: INDEPENDENT
The Vietnamese national team needs a coherent continuity between generations. After the 1999-2000 generation (with Viet Anh and Thanh Binh) made the national team but didn't leave much of an impression, coach Kim Sang-sik is now focusing his attention on the 2003-2004 generation, where Ly Duc, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh, and Phi Hoang are all competing in the U23 team and have two more youth tournaments to improve.
Ly Duc played against Malaysia, Hieu Minh started against Nepal... in the Asian Cup qualifiers. This demonstrates Coach Kim's commitment to placing his trust in young players. These young center-backs will have further opportunities in the next year if they prove their worth at the SEA Games or the U23 Asian Championship. The wheel of transition has begun to turn from this moment.
Waiting for foreign blood
The Vietnamese national team will welcome center-backs of foreign descent in 2026. The application for center-back Gustavo Sant Ana (Da Nang FC) is currently under review, after being proposed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to the Ministry of Justice .
Gustavo, 30 years old and 1.95m tall, has accumulated five years of experience playing in the V-League, having previously played for The Cong Viettel , SLNA, Thanh Hoa, and currently Da Nang. Gustavo possesses a good physique, strong tackling ability, and excellent tackling skills.
The nearly 2-meter-tall player will offer a solution to the Vietnamese defense, which has long been shaky against aerial balls, as the central defenders are only of average height.
Kim Jong-un might consider using Gustavo...
PHOTO: DA NANG CLUB
... and Kevin Pham Ba
PHOTO: NAM DINH CLUB
Besides Gustavo, other Vietnamese-born center-backs such as Kevin Pham Ba ( Nam Dinh ) and Adou Minh (Hanoi Police FC) are also on the waiting list. Kevin Pham Ba (born in 1994) has experience playing in French football and possesses a wealth of experience in Europe. Also playing in France, Adou Minh (born in 1997) is even more impressive, having been included in the V-League Team of the Season last year after his outstanding performance helped the modest Ha Tinh team achieve an unbeaten streak throughout the first half of the season.
The Vietnamese national team's goalposts also show promise with foreign blood, as Vietnamese-born goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang is a potential candidate who holds Vietnamese citizenship.
Patrik Lê Giang has been one of the best goalkeepers in the V-League for the past two years. He has shown enough to warrant consideration for a starting position from coach Kim when he meets the requirements.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hang-thu-moi-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-cao-lon-va-dang-cap-hon-185251023161222513.htm
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