Coach Kim Sang-sik needs more from Tien Linh

Tien Linh's mission

The 2024 AFF Cup will be the fourth time Tien Linh has participated in the highest level of football in Southeast Asia. This is also the tournament that has witnessed the growth of the 27-year-old striker.

Specifically, in the 2018 AFF Cup, Tien Linh only played as a reserve for senior strikers such as Anh Duc, Van Quyet, and Tien Linh. In the 2020 AFF Cup, the Binh Duong striker's playing time increased, but he was still considered "substituted in and out", not leaving much of an impression.

AFF Cup 2022 is the peak of Tien Linh, when the striker born in 1997 plays the role of leading the attack. 6 goals (including 3 goals against Thailand and Indonesia) and the top scorer title say it all.

Tien Linh scored his first goal at AFF Cup 2024

Even after the AFF Cup 2022, Tien Linh went through a quiet period under coach Philippe Troussier (injured, not used). But overall, the 27-year-old striker is still one of the most effective strikers that Vietnamese football has ever produced.

Tien Linh's luggage to the AFF Cup 2024 is impressive form, with 7 goals after the first 9 rounds of V-League with Binh Duong Club. Not only competing fairly with foreign strikers, Tien Linh has also matured in his playing style. He is no longer a striker "hanging in a hammock" in the penalty area, but is willing to move to pass the ball to connect the play, opening up space for his teammates.

In theory, Tien Linh's increasingly perfect running and wall-building skills will make him an important piece in coach Kim Sang-sik's playing style.

However, in the 4-1 victory over Laos, Tien Linh could not prove his influence. The striker wearing the number 22 shirt still scored, but it was due to a mistake by the opponent, at a time when his physical strength was declining (mid-second half).

Tien Linh had the ball intercepted by his opponent

In the first half, when the Vietnamese team could not play a sharp game, and had to use many long passes and high crosses to find opportunities, Tien Linh could not show much. The biggest "mark" of the main striker on the Vietnamese side was only the situation where he escaped to face the goalkeeper, but the Laotian center-back intercepted the ball right at his feet, before he could finish.

In the remaining time, Tien Linh mainly ran to attract people so that Vi Hao could have space to score. He could not fight independently and was "pinned down" by the opponent, nor could he fall back to coordinate smoothly with his teammates. Obviously, coach Kim Sang-sik needed more from the player who was at the peak of his form, assigned to lead the attack.

The challenge is called Indonesia

In the rematch on December 15 at Viet Tri Stadium, the Vietnamese team is dominating Indonesia. Coach Kim and his team have a more experienced and resilient squad than the U.21 team that coach Shin Tae-yong brought to the AFF Cup.

Indonesia's defensive weakness was exposed in the match against Laos. Although the defenders of the archipelago nation competed well, they were impatient and lacked discipline.

Facing a loose defense is an opportunity for Tien Linh and his teammates to score. He scored against Indonesia in the last confrontation at the AFF Cup (2022), and scored 2 more goals against the national team, as well as the Indonesian youth teams in the 2021 - 2022 period. The Indonesian newspaper Bola affirmed that Tien Linh is a dangerous striker that the national team must take good care of.

Tien Linh scored again against Indonesia?

However, the Vietnamese team cannot be complacent. Because with the young Indonesian army, anything can happen. Facing the youth and ambition of the opponent, Vietnam needs to play smart and disciplined, taking advantage of experience to lure the opponent into a trap.

In a calculated game, Tien Linh's role is even more important. The ability to choose a smart position and finish well is an advantage for the 27-year-old striker to exploit the space behind the Indonesian defense, showing his "coolness" in the ability to seize opportunities.

At the same time, coach Kim Sang-sik also needs his students to coordinate better with the surrounding satellites. Tien Linh must become a support for the attack, instead of purely taking on the task of scoring goals. The challenge at Viet Tri Stadium is not easy to solve, but hopefully the more difficult it is, the more the 22-year-old striker can show himself.

Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is broadcast live and in full onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/aff-cup-2024-hlv-kim-sang-sik-can-nhieu-hon-o-tien-linh-185241212173106906.htm