An important position of the Vietnamese team is 'threatened' to lose its place: Coach Kim revealed…

In the near future, coach Kim Sang-sik will likely call up Vo Anh Quan to the Vietnamese team to share the burden as well as create competitive motivation with Truong Tien Anh.

The Vietnamese team lacks balance on both wings.

In the two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, coach Kim Sang-sik used three left-backs: Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Nguyen Van Vi, and Khuat Van Khang. These players rotated positions, or even all played together whenever the Vietnamese team needed to apply more pressure. This created diversity on the left flank for the "Golden Star Warriors." Furthermore, Nguyen Phi Hoang, who performed exceptionally well at the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship and has had a stable development at Da Nang FC for several seasons, is always ready to be given an opportunity.

Tien Anh is the only option available to coach Kim Sang-sik at this time.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Meanwhile, on the opposite flank, coach Kim Sang-sik has only one option left: Truong Tien Anh. With Ho Tan Tai and Vu Van Thanh racing against time to return to the pitch, and Pham Xuan Manh being "planned" for the center-back position, the The Cong Viettel player has become the number one right-back for the Vietnamese national team. He has played the full 360 minutes in the last four matches for the Vietnamese national team (three matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, one friendly match).

Tien Anh continues to play consistently, showcasing his strengths such as speed, dribbling ability, and good crossing. However, coach Kim Sang-sik still needs more personnel options to avoid risks and create diversity in the Vietnamese national team's playing style.

Will the flag fall into Anh Quân's hands?

After the return match against Nepal, Thanh Nien Newspaper asked coach Kim Sang-sik if he had any further plans given the current thinness of the right-back position in the Vietnamese national team. He replied: "I have a plan to use players from the Vietnam U23 team. At the same time, I and my colleagues will closely monitor the V-League to find new talents."

Anh Quân is playing football with increasing confidence.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Coach Kim Sang-sik's statement clearly indicates that Anh Quân has the opportunity to make his debut for the Vietnamese national team. Since the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship in Indonesia, he has established himself as the number one right-back for the Vietnamese U23 team thanks to his intelligent, confident play and balanced attacking and defensive abilities. When in the opponent's third of the field, he creates problems with his crosses and low passes, and is always ready to penetrate the penalty area to take shots.

In the 2025-2026 V-League season, Anh Quân also showed consistent form. He played in 6 matches, scoring 1 goal and providing 2 assists. These are impressive numbers. In the 2-2 draw against Thanh Hóa FC, Anh Quân contributed to both goals for PVF-CAND. In the 60th minute, he delivered a perfect cross for Xuân Bắc to score. Six minutes later, the player born in 2004 executed a clever turn and decisively finished into the near corner with his weaker foot to give PVF-CAND FC the lead. These plays not only showed how capable Anh Quân is but also revealed his continued confidence.

In one month, the Vietnamese national team will travel to Laos to compete in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. If Anh Quân continues to maintain this form, his chances of making his debut for the national team are very high. At that time, Tiến Anh will also have to put in his best effort if he doesn't want to lose his starting spot to his younger teammate.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mot-vi-tri-trong-yeu-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-bi-de-doa-mat-cho-thay-kim-he-lo-185251020174210847.htm