Nguyen Filip's presence is threatening Dinh Trieu's position.

Nguyen Filip creates an interesting competition with Dinh Trieu - Photo: CAHN FC .

In this training camp, in the goalkeeper position, coach Kim Sang-sik still calls up three familiar names: Nguyen Filip (CAHN), Nguyen Dinh Trieu ( Hai Phong ), and Tran Trung Kien (HAGL).

However, given his young age and primary goal of gaining experience, Trung Kien is seen as an investment for the future. The number one goalkeeper position is currently a competition between Nguyen Filip and Nguyen Dinh Trieu.

Dinh Trieu was once entrusted by coach Kim Sang-sik with the starting goalkeeper role at the ASEAN Cup 2024. He played in 6 out of 8 matches, making a significant contribution to Vietnam's championship victory. His consistent performance, good judgment, and chemistry with the defense earned him the trust of the coaching staff.

At the club level, the goalkeeper born in 1991 continues to maintain his form while playing for Hai Phong. Dinh Trieu recently had a good performance, helping Hai Phong earn a point in their away match against The Cong Viettel in round 24 of the V.League 2024/25, and received high praise from the home team's coach.

"Dinh Trieu deserves to be the number one goalkeeper for the Vietnamese national team. He made many crucial saves, especially in the first half and the beginning of the second half," Coach Popov said about the goalkeeper of the Hai Phong team.

However, Nguyen Filip is putting significant pressure on Dinh Trieu for the number one spot. The goalkeeper, born in 1992, once won the Best Goalkeeper award in Fortuna Liga, the Czech Republic's national championship. He has nearly a decade of experience playing in Europe, and in terms of technical skills, playing experience, and footwork, Nguyen Filip is far superior to the current average Vietnamese goalkeeper.

However, during the time of coach Kim Sang-sik, goalkeeper coach Lee Woon-jae of the Vietnamese national team did not highly rate Nguyen Filip's communication skills and ability to command the defense.

This is a common weakness among Vietnamese players living abroad who are unfamiliar with the domestic playing environment and have language barriers. However, in the last two months, Filip has gradually proven his class with outstanding performances.

Nguyen Filip is in impressive form playing for CAHN - Photo: CAHN FC.

Nguyen Filip's peak performance was most clearly demonstrated in the second leg of the Southeast Asian Club Cup final between CAHN and Buriram United. Despite the immense pressure from the Thai team's attack, Nguyen Filip remained calm and composed.

He absolutely dominated the penalty area, displaying quick reflexes with fingertip saves, consistent positioning, and most notably, successfully blocking two penalties in the shootout. Although CAHN failed in the penalty shootout after his teammates missed three attempts, Nguyen Filip had a near-perfect game. He initiated attacks effectively thanks to his accurate long passes.

This is a testament to the ability and top-level competitive spirit of a goalkeeper who has played in Europe. In the last 8 matches, Nguyen Filip kept a clean sheet in 6 games and made 23 saves. Meanwhile, Dinh Trieu remains a stable and safe choice with his inherent qualities.

But the question is whether safety is enough for him to maintain his number one position when Nguyen Filip is in explosive form? Coach Kim Sang-sik will certainly have to consider this carefully.

If experience and chemistry with the current defense are prioritized, Dinh Trieu remains the top candidate. However, if looking for a breakthrough, Nguyen Filip's superior physique, reflexes, and footwork could be the deciding factor, especially in matches against strong opponents.

Currently, both Nguyen Filip and Dinh Trieu are in good form. This is a positive sign for the Vietnamese national team. The competition between these two quality goalkeepers will help raise the overall level of play, add depth to the squad, especially as the team prepares for an important match against Malaysia, or aims for bigger goals.

Regardless of who is chosen as the starting goalkeeper, the most important thing is that the Vietnamese national team now has more quality options in goal, something that has been a weakness for many years. If Nguyen Filip continues to maintain his outstanding form as he has shown, the number one position could very well change hands.

Source: https://znews.vn/nguyen-filip-khien-vi-tri-cua-dinh-trieu-lung-lay-post1555354.html