 |
Coach Kim Sang-sik believes that Thailand and Indonesia are the championship candidates in the U23 Southeast Asia. |
“We will train hard, practice tactics and good physical strength, because every match with U23 Vietnam is a final. We aim to play with the highest spirit, aiming for victory in every match. I think U23 Thailand has good individual skills and is a strong team. U23 Indonesia has speed and physical strength. These two teams are formidable, two competitors for the championship in this tournament,” coach Kim Sang-sik said at a press conference ahead of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament in Group B.
This is the first time coach Kim Sang-sik has directly led the U23 Vietnam team in an official tournament. The squad he brought to Indonesia includes many young players, including many new faces. The Korean coach highly appreciates the players' learning spirit: "I do not focus on individual achievements. The important thing is the development of young players, helping them prepare for bigger tournaments. I hope this tournament is a good opportunity for the players to compete, mature and contribute to Vietnamese football in the future."
He also said that playing in Indonesia helps reduce the travel time between locations for teams. However, playing at home will give teams a greater advantage in terms of psychology and support from the audience.
On the Laos U23 side, coach Ha Hyeok-jun admitted that his team was the weakest in the group. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Cambodia U23s both have strong squads, extensive experience and good tactical foundations. He said the team will try to learn and accumulate international competition experience to improve their ability in the future.
 |
Coaches in Group B attend press conference. |
“I hope our young players will learn a lot from matches at the international level, especially when facing strong teams like Vietnam and Cambodia. Playing against higher-class teams will help the players improve their skills and gain valuable experience,” he said.
Cambodia U23 coach Gyotoku Koji also shares the same view on long-term development. He shared: “We hope this tournament will be a good foundation for young players to mature, preparing for the next big tournaments such as the Asian U23 qualifiers or the SEA Games.” He said that both the national team and Cambodia U23 are using many young players to orient sustainable development.
The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship will take place from July 15 in Jakarta and Bekasi (Indonesia). U23 Vietnam is in the same group as Laos and Cambodia. According to the schedule, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will have the first match off and have the advantage of watching their opponents. According to the format, only the group leader and the second-placed team with the best record will qualify for the semi-finals. U23 Vietnam is the defending champion of this tournament.
Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-thai-lan-va-indonesia-la-ung-vien-vo-dich-post1568772.html
Comment (0)