Limitations of the Vietnam team
The Vietnamese team has transformed under the coaching of Mr. Kim Sang-sik, with breakthroughs in counter-attacks, transitions, pressing, and especially in defensive philosophy.
Similar to his predecessor Park Hang-seo, Mr. Kim chose to build the foundation from the defense. Instead of retreating deep, Mr. Kim's defense tends to be more proactive: proactively pushing the formation to put pressure, 1-on-1, using tight, close-knit formations between lines to "stifle" the opponent's development and passing.
The defense of 3 central defenders, combined with the rhythmic movement of the two wings, created a wall, helping the Vietnamese team overcome Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand to win the AFF Cup 2024.
The Vietnamese team prepares for the match against Malaysia. PHOTO: VUONG ANH
However, there is still an imperfect point in coach Kim Sang-sik's defense, which is the ability to defend from a distance, preventing long-range shots from the opponent's second line.
Five of the last six goals conceded by the Vietnamese team, including the 2024 AFF Cup and international friendlies, came from long-range shots. Those were the goals conceded in matches against the Philippines (group stage), Singapore (semi-finals), Thailand (final) and Cambodia (international friendlies).
In the match against the Philippines, the Vietnamese central defenders let their opponents freely control the ball close to the edge of the penalty area and then kicked the ball past Nguyen Filip. In the second leg of the semi-final against Singapore at Viet Tri Stadium, the gap in the second line opened up again, allowing the opponents to freely shoot from a distance past Nguyen Dinh Trieu.
In the second leg of the final at Rajamangala Stadium, despite winning the championship, Vietnam conceded two goals, both from shots outside the box by Benjamin Davies and Supachok Sarachat. While Supachok's goal came from a lack of fair play, Davies' long-range shot resulted from a mistake by Doan Ngoc Tan - a defensive midfielder who had played impressively before.
In the friendly match with Cambodia, the Vietnamese team again let the opponent shoot from a distance into Dinh Trieu's net. Manuel Bong advanced, dribbling between 4 Vietnamese players but was not approached by anyone. The Cambodian midfielder comfortably kicked the ball with his right foot into the net.
That is also the common point of all 5 recent long-range shots that the Vietnamese team has received. The gap between the defenders and midfielders is clearly visible, creating conditions for the opponent to break through and penetrate.
Duy Manh's role in defense is very important. PHOTO: VUONG ANH
While the central defenders hesitated between rushing forward to block or holding their positions, the midfielders were loose and did not press hard. The large space in front of the penalty area would be a dangerous area that the Vietnamese team had to cover thoroughly, if they did not want to be punished by Malaysia.
Beware of Malaysia
The Malaysian team caused a shock when they drew 1-1 with Cape Verde (ranked 72nd in the world ) in a friendly match at the end of May. After a crisis that lasted from 2019 until now, the team nicknamed "Tigers" is rising again under the coaching hand of Mr. Peter Cklamovski.
In the match against Cape Verde, one of the bright spots for Malaysia was that the players were very diligent in shooting from afar. For example, 23-year-old naturalized striker Gabriel Palermo (playing for Tenerife in Spain) had a long-range shot that shook the Cape Verde goal in the 6th minute. Other players such as Safawi Rashid, Paulo Josue... also worked very hard to shoot from afar.
With good leg strength and personal technical qualities, especially when supplemented with naturalized stars like Palermo, Hector Hevel... Malaysia will fully exploit shots from outside the penalty area. The Vietnam team needs to carefully calculate solutions to prevent and fill the gap in the midfield.
Coach Kim Sang-sik no longer has Ngoc Tan ( Thanh Hoa FC midfielder who is injured), but he still has midfielders who stick to him and support his defense well, such as Nguyen Duc Chien, a quality "anchor" blocker, or Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, a shuttle midfielder with the ability to attack and defend tirelessly.
Protecting the second line firmly, actively covering, and putting pressure on the opponent so that they cannot shoot from afar will be the right path for the Vietnamese team to stand firm at Bukit Jalil.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lo-dien-lo-hong-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-thay-kim-can-va-loi-ngay-185250602115605487.htm
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