Coach Kim revealed that 1 player was absent in the rematch against Nepal, told the story of Tien Linh... asking for a ticket

Coach Kim Sang-sik has a plan to use young players.

After a 3-1 victory over Nepal in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (taking place on the evening of October 9), coach Kim Sang-sik's Vietnam team will face their South Asian opponents again tomorrow evening, October 14, in the fourth round.

In the first leg against Nepal, the Vietnamese team did not field any U.23 players in the squad (all 11 players were 25 years old or older). In the second half, coach Kim Sang-sik sent Thanh Nhan (63rd minute) and Dinh Bac (84th minute). Although both played enthusiastically, they did not leave a strong impression due to the limited playing time.

Coach Kim Sang-sik: 'The Vietnamese team must keep a clean sheet in the second leg against Nepal'

Thanh Nien Newspaper asked coach Kim Sang-sik: "In the rematch against Nepal, when you clearly understand your opponent's strength, will you boldly give opportunities to more young players?"

Coach Kim Sang-sik replied: "The coaching staff of the Vietnamese team chose a safe solution in the last match with Nepal, so they did not use U.23 players in the main squad. As for tomorrow's match, I cannot reveal it yet, but my assistant and I are planning to use young players. The U.23 players are capable enough to play in the main squad to perform well in tomorrow's match."

The Vietnamese team has 6 points after 3 matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (2 wins, 1 loss), temporarily ranking second in Group F. Looking at the bigger picture, Mr. Kim's students have won 9 out of the last 11 matches in official tournaments.

However, the Vietnamese team still has problems in both defense (conceding 8 goals in the last 9 matches) and attack (missing many opportunities). Coach Kim Sang-sik and his assistant have spent the last 3 training sessions helping the players "fix their mistakes" in order to play better in the rematch with Nepal.

- Ảnh 2. — The Vietnam team practices to improve their playing style.

"In the previous match, we won 3-1, and in the next match, the whole team must continue to win and play with more confidence. The Nepal team will defend deep, so we must coordinate well, move reasonably and finish better. I hope the players will play with dedication when playing at Thong Nhat Stadium, in front of home fans," said coach Kim Sang-sik.

Vietnam team without Bui Tien Dung

Center back Bui Tien Dung has been absent from recent training sessions due to a back injury. According to coach Kim Sang-sik, the 1995-born player is unlikely to play in the match against Nepal.

"Bui Tien Dung played the first half of the match against Nepal. After that, he suffered a back injury and missed recent training sessions. Due to this injury, it is unlikely that he will be able to play in the rematch against Nepal tomorrow night.

However, there are many players who can meet the tactics I have proposed. We are arranging the game to fill the gap he left, to play tighter. The defense must not concede goals," coach Kim Sang-sik assessed.

- Ảnh 3. — Tien Linh smiled brightly when teacher Kim told the story of him asking for a ticket.

The Korean strategist added: "I hope Tien Linh can score many goals in the match against Nepal. In the previous match, we shot 24 times, scoring 3 goals. To score more goals in tomorrow's match, the players need to shoot more calmly and accurately. I believe they have the ability and confidence to do that.

The Vietnamese team always wants to score, whether from set pieces or combination plays. We will try to practice and coordinate well to bring about goals."

Mr. Kim also revealed an interesting story about Tien Linh: "Speaking of tickets to tomorrow's match, I want to confide that Tien Linh has been asking me for tickets for the past few days. Since coming to Vietnam, this is the first time I have been able to direct the team to play at Thong Nhat. We will try our best to play well to meet the expectations of the fans."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-tiet-lo-1-cau-thu-vang-mat-tran-tai-dau-nepal-ke-chuyen-tien-linh-doi-ve-185251013155119975.htm