Worried about Dang Van Lam

Throughout the victory against Nepal, Van Lam only had two opportunities to face the opponent's shots but conceded one goal.

After a year's absence from the national team due to various reasons, the goalkeeper of Vietnamese-Russian descent was given a chance to play by coach Kim Sang-sik thanks to his impressive performance for Ninh Binh Club, the champions of the 2024-2025 National First Division League, with the record for the longest unbeaten streak.

Compared to his national team teammates, Van Lam has more international experience but is limited in his ball-handling skills. Throughout the victory against Nepal, Van Lam only had two opportunities to face the opponent's shots but conceded one goal.

Dang Van Lam has not yet reached peak form upon his return to the national team. Photo: QUOC AN

Due to this situation, Van Lam was criticized for being indecisive in his rush out to make the save. The 1.88m tall goalkeeper also failed to demonstrate leadership, lacking coordination with the central defenders in aerial duels. According to the statistics website Sofascore, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam had the lowest score in the Vietnamese national team's lineup in the 3-1 victory against Nepal, only achieving 6.4 points.

However, many sympathize with Van Lam, arguing that close-range headers or one-touch shots are very dangerous, surprising, and difficult for goalkeepers. At the peak of their careers, legendary goalkeepers such as Buffon, Casillas, Peter Schmeichel, Van der Sar, Neuer, and Cech… have often conceded goals from similar shots.

Professional analysis suggests that the goal conceded against Nepal stemmed from the central defensive duo of Duy Mạnh and Tiến Dũng. Both displayed sluggishness in reading the situation and a lack of decisiveness in preventing the opponent from exploiting space, creating opportunities for headers. However, Văn Lâm has also yet to reach his peak form upon his return to the national team. Besides the goal conceded in the first half, the Ninh Bình FC goalkeeper also caused several heart-stopping moments for the home crowd with inaccurate ball handling. Throughout his international career, Văn Lâm has made similar mistakes, leading to regrettable goals conceded by the Vietnamese national team.

Therefore, even though the home team won against Nepal, the likelihood of Van Lam continuing to be used in the next matches for the Vietnamese national team is no longer high. If he does not improve his ball-handling skills and his positioning, Dang Van Lam will lose his position as the number one goalkeeper for the Vietnamese national team to younger players like Trung Kien and Van Viet.

Coach Pham Minh Duc commented: "The goalkeeper plays a crucial role, creating confidence and security for the defense, allowing the attacking line to confidently execute attacks. Van Lam has good reflexes and saves, but he is still limited in his ball-playing with his feet. If the opponent applies high-pressure pressing, putting pressure on his own half, Van Lam may have difficulty in distributing the ball."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lo-cho-dang-van-lam-196251011204256599.htm