U.23 Vietnam must improve its attacking efficiency.
Two friendly matches with U.23 Qatar during the training trip in West Asia during FIFA Days in October are considered a quality test for U.23 Vietnam, in preparation for the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship.
In the first leg match on October 9, although U.23 Vietnam had only gathered for a few days, affected by the long journey to the UAE and the different weather, the students of acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh still showed a confident playing style, controlling the ball up to 63% of the time, the statistics showed progress in controlling the rhythm, coordinating and organizing the game. However, the biggest problem of U.23 Vietnam was in taking advantage of opportunities. Despite creating 5-6 clear opportunities, the students of coach Dinh Hong Vinh still could not put the ball into the opponent's net and accepted a final defeat with a score of 0-1.

Nguyen Vadim wore the U.23 Vietnam shirt for the first time
PHOTO: VFF
In many situations, young players lack composure, react too hastily in the final touches or choose individual solutions instead of coordination. Controlling the ball well but not scoring goals makes the tactical advantage meaningless. When unable to convert opportunities into goals, the team is easily counter-attacked and has to pay the price. This has appeared in some previous matches, showing that the problem of finishing is becoming a bottleneck in the process of perfecting the playing style of U.23 Vietnam.
Another reason is physical strength. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh said that due to the long travel and time zone change, many players were out of breath from the 60th minute onwards. When physical strength decreases, pressing, chasing the ball or covering movements also lose accuracy, directly affecting the ability to maintain the game.
However, the positive sign is that U.23 Vietnam is forming a clearer playing style: proactively controlling and deploying the ball from the back, taking advantage of the mobility of attacking players such as Quoc Viet, Le Viktor or Cong Phuong. After the lesson of the first leg, acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh and the players will know how to adjust to improve the effectiveness of the attack, aiming for victory in the second leg against U.23 Qatar.
Scoring opportunity
It is likely that interim coach Dinh Hong Vinh will give the opportunity to play from the beginning to the players who came off the bench in the first leg such as Tran Thanh Trung, Nguyen Vadim, Tran Nam Hai, Le Van Thuan, Nguyen Thai Son, Pham Minh Phuc, Le Dinh Long or Dinh Quang Kiet. Playing from the beginning of the match will give them more time to show off, adapt and integrate into the tactical system that the coaching staff is building for U.23 Vietnam. This is a good opportunity for the players to show themselves to score points in the eyes of the coaching staff.
Especially in the group of overseas Vietnamese players, names like Le Viktor, Thanh Trung, Vadim need to prove their ability and influence in the operation of U.23 Vietnam, from which they will continue to be used in the coming time. Because coach Kim Sang-sik, although leading the national team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, still closely monitors the training and competition process of U.23 Vietnam through detailed reports from coach Dinh Hong Vinh.
Le Viktor, Thanh Trung, Vadim all have good physical foundation, basic techniques and modern football thinking - factors that can help U.23 Vietnam's playing style become more diverse and faster. However, the ability to integrate tactically, coordinate with teammates and show courage in specific situations is what determines whether they can win the trust of the coaching staff or not.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-moi-nhat-u23-viet-nam-qatar-cho-cau-thu-viet-kieu-len-tieng-185251012213256155.htm
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