Coach Kim Sang Sik at the press conference before the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship - Photo: VFF
On the afternoon of July 15, a press conference for the teams in Group B of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship took place in Jakarta (Indonesia). This is the group of the U23 Vietnam team with Laos and Cambodia.
Speaking at the press conference, Coach Kim Sang Sik shared his views on the goals and evaluation of the opponents in this year's tournament.
He said: "First of all, I am very happy to be with the players in this tournament. I know that U23 Vietnam has won the championship twice in a row in 2022 and 2023, so there is a certain pressure in this tournament. My students and I will try to train hard to achieve the best results."
The Korean coach emphasized that to continue the success of the last two seasons, U23 Vietnam must compete with the spirit of considering each match as a final.
"The players and I always practice hard, practice tactics and ensure good physical fitness. Every upcoming match is a final. I always set the highest goals and spirit to win each match," he said.
Coach Kim Sang Sik (right) with 2 coaches of U23 Laos (middle) and U23 Cambodia - Photo: VFF
Evaluating the competitors in the tournament, coach Kim Sang Sik frankly mentioned U23 Thailand and U23 Indonesia.
He said: "U23 Thailand is a very strong team, the players have good individual skills. U23 Indonesia has impressive speed and physical strength. These are two formidable teams, capable of competing for the championship."
However, the head coach of the Vietnam U23 team affirmed that he would not underestimate any opponent. "That is the best way to do it. The players and I hope to experience many things at the international level, different from domestic level," he said.
Sharing about his first time leading the Vietnam U23 team in an official tournament, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "The players are younger, more enthusiastic and ready to listen to instructions. Over the past two weeks of training, I have seen that the players have the ability to learn quickly, build a good team, and at the same time show great passion and motivation. I look forward to their progress through each match."
Closing the press conference, coach Kim Sang Sik affirmed the championship goal of U23 Vietnam: "We set the highest goal in this tournament. The performance of young players depends on spirit and careful preparation. For me, every opponent deserves respect and needs to be carefully prepared."
Coach Ha Hyeo Kjun of Laos U23 frankly admitted that his team was rated lower than Vietnam U23 and Cambodia U23 in all aspects. However, Laos U23 still came to the tournament with the determination to learn, improve themselves and create surprises.
"We have players who have played for both the national team and the U23 team. The goal is to improve individual ability and prepare for the future. Hopefully this tournament will be a good foundation for Laos to develop and prepare for important upcoming tournaments such as the U23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games," he said.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-dat-muc-tieu-u23-viet-nam-vo-dich-dong-nam-a-20250715130513467.htm
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