Quang Hai - Hoang Duc and Coach Kim Sang-sik's headache

The Vietnamese team is at a disadvantage

In the first leg of the semi-final against Singapore, for the first time, the Vietnamese team controlled the ball so little at the AFF Cup 2024. In the first half, coach Kim Sang-sik's players only held the ball 30%. This number was slightly higher in the second half: 37%. Previously, the lowest ball control rate of the Vietnamese team in the group stage was 50% (in the match against the Philippines).

The artificial turf naturally affects the Vietnamese team's ability to control the ball. However, this is not the biggest problem. The main reason comes from the fact that our midfield has lost its balance. The arrangement of Quang Hai and Hoang Duc as a pair of central midfielders seems to be an ineffective solution. Facing a midfield that plays with strength and is not afraid of collision, both Hoang Duc and Quang Hai have difficulty and cannot fully demonstrate their qualities. The accuracy rate of these two left-sided players is 76%, which is relatively low. Therefore, the Vietnamese team did not have many good opportunities in the first 60 minutes.

In the second half, when Quang Hai left the field, Hoang Duc was pushed up to attack more.

The game improved for the "Golden Star Warriors" from the moment Doan Ngoc Tan replaced Quang Hai. The abundant energy of the midfielder from Thanh Hoa Club helped the Vietnamese team control the midfield better, "liberating" Hoang Duc. Thanks to that, we created more pressure in the second half and scored 2 goals in extra time.

Can Quang Hai - Hoang Duc be used?

In the 2024 AFF Cup, coach Kim Sang-sik often uses 3 central midfielders. Of which, 2 players are in charge of regulating the match, the remaining one is free to move around to support the attack. In the match against Laos, these 3 players are Ngoc Tan, Hoang Duc and Hai Long. In the match against Indonesia, Quang Hai replaced Hoang Duc. In the match against the Philippines, the 3 midfielders are Ngoc Tan, Quang Hai and Ngoc Quang.

In the match against Myanmar, for the first time, coach Kim Sang-sik arranged for Quang Hai to play alongside Hoang Duc. However, because this was a relatively weak opponent, the Vietnamese team still controlled the game. But when facing a tough opponent like Singapore, our midfield became more fragile.

Quang Hai is always very dangerous when he has the ball near the opponent's penalty area.

If he wants to use both Quang Hai and Hoang Duc, coach Kim Sang-sik must sacrifice a winger to switch to a 3-5-2 formation. At this time, the most optimal option is for Ngoc Tan - Hoang Duc to play lower, with the task of blocking and regulating the match. Meanwhile, Quang Hai is pushed up high, operating near the opponent's penalty area to support the striker pair Xuan Son - Tien Linh (or Vi Hao). The midfielder of the Hanoi Police Club also plays very well every time he appears near the penalty area, demonstrated through 2 goals against the Indonesian and Myanmar teams in the group stage.

In case coach Kim Sang-sik still wants to use the attacking trio with Xuan Son as the striker and 2 young, strong players playing on the wing, he only has 2 spots left in the midfield. At this time, Ngoc Tan needs to be present to bring balance and the Korean strategist is forced to choose Quang Hai or Hoang Duc.

Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is broadcast live and in full on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quang-hai-hoang-duc-va-con-dau-dau-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-185241227103534306.htm