Is Mr. Kim Sang-sik confident about the defense of the Vietnamese team?

The importance of the away match in Malaysia on June 10 forced coach Kim Sang-sik to make adjustments to strengthen the defense of the Vietnamese team.

N DEFENSIVE MOVEMENTS

The Vietnamese team will gather from May 29, with 23 players summoned by coach Kim Sang-sik to prepare for the match at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Malaysia on June 10. This is a very important away trip in the race for the top spot in Group F with Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. In this gathering, Mr. Kim continued to ignore the trio of players born in 1993, including Van Lam, Ngoc Hai, and Hung Dung, who all wore the captain's armband of the Vietnamese team, while Tan Tai continued to be absent due to injury. This shows that the coach born in 1976 wants to stabilize the Vietnamese team's defense with the framework from the 2024 AFF Cup. However, calculations must be based on the players present. Compared to March, our defense has many changes when goalkeepers Nguyen Filip, Xuan Manh, and Bui Hoang Viet Anh returned after being absent in the previous gathering for various reasons.

Quang Vinh (middle) , currently in good form at CAHN Club, will greatly help the defense of the Vietnamese team.

PHOTO: MINH TU

In the opposite direction, Van Thanh is temporarily absent due to injury, while young center-back Ly Duc, who has just recovered from injury, will join the U.22 Vietnam team. But on the opposite left wing, the Vietnam team will welcome new player Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, who has just received Vietnamese citizenship. Those changes will force Mr. Kim to make adjustments to strengthen the defense more effectively. Basically, coach Kim Sang-sik will have more options than in the 5-1 victory over Laos in the opening round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Tien Anh is still shining at The Cong Viettel while Quang Vinh will bring remarkable solutions to the left wing. Xuan Manh, Nguyen Filip and Viet Anh's return are all quality pieces for coach Kim Sang-sik to freely assemble.

ENHANCE THE STABILITY of the team

The fact that the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) allowed its best players to join the Vietnam national team, not playing the two make-up matches against Binh Duong Club (May 30) and Binh Dinh Club (June 3) is very meaningful. This generous action helps coach Kim Sang-sik have enough players from May 31, about 10 days before meeting Malaysia. Fortunately, up to now, except for Van Thanh, most of our defensive stars are in impressive form. Nguyen Filip's top performance in the CAHN shirt promises to create an exciting competition with Dinh Trieu in the goal. On the left wing, there will be an interesting competition between Van Vi and Quang Vinh, who are in very good form at the end of this season. The duo Viet Anh - Xuan Manh will help Mr. Kim feel really secure about the trio of central defenders who have a particularly important role in protecting the goal and participating in launching from the bottom up.

Football expert Doan Minh Xuong commented: "The match with Malaysia is very important, the Vietnamese team cannot lose. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik will look for stability, starting with the defense system. In terms of defense alone, Mr. Kim has more options than in March, thanks to the return of many familiar faces who have proven their abilities. Even rookie Quang Vinh can bring unexpected solutions, allowing Van Vi to freely attack like at Nam Dinh Club."

Mr. Xuong predicts that coach Kim Sang-sik will prioritize stability for the Vietnamese team's defense: "Looking at the list with only 2 new but experienced names (Cong Phuong, Quang Vinh - PV ), it can be seen that Mr. Kim wants to prioritize stability. Especially the defense is gathering many players with high performance, which will be the foundation for building a tight playing style in Malaysia. Nguyen Filip - Dinh Trieu or Van Vi - Quang Vinh, if competing with each other, will ensure professional and psychological stability to help the Vietnamese team stand firm at Bukit Jalil Stadium with more than 80,000 spectators."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-kim-sang-sik-co-yen-tam-ve-hang-thu-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185250524220531583.htm