Coach Kim Sang-sik reveals tactical adjustments and next plans of U23 Vietnam

TPO - Coach Kim Sang-sik kept his promise of a victory, ending the U23 Asian qualifiers with the top spot in Group C and a perfect record of winning all 3 matches. He revealed that he had made changes to get the match on track, and the whole team is ready to improve towards the next goals.

Coach Kim Sang-sik had stated that the Vietnam U23 team would defeat Yemen U23 to secure all nine points and qualify for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship. After a tough 90 minutes at Viet Tri Stadium, his team achieved their goal.

Looking back, the AFC U23 Asian Championship was the tournament that made a name for coach Park Hang-seo, the predecessor of coach Kim Sang-sik. According to the South Korean strategist, the team participating in the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Championship will be very different from the team of his predecessor. He will try his best in the tournament taking place in Saudi Arabia next year.

Coach Kim Sang-sik also explained that in the 2026 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, there were three matches played in a short period, so the coaching staff had to rotate the squad to ensure the players were in the best physical condition. "Regarding the match against U23 Yemen, I was supposed to make three substitutions in the second half, but things didn't go according to plan, so I had to make adjustments in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, I also made a strategic change that helped the team secure the victory," he shared.

"After the 2026 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, I've identified areas for improvement, such as the players needing to be calmer when entering the opponent's third of the field or before taking shots. I also told the players that we have two months to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games and everyone needs to strive to improve themselves and hone their skills to enter the tournament in the best possible form," said the South Korean strategist.

Present at the press conference, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, who was voted Man of the Match, shared that he was very happy with the goal he scored, especially since he wouldn't be playing in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. This helped him relieve stress and confidently look towards his next goals.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-tiet-lo-cac-dieu-chinh-chien-thuat-and-ke-hoach-tiep-theo-cua-u23-viet-nam-post1776773.tpo