We will beat Malaysia...

Despite securing a place in the 2027 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese national team has yet to find its ideal form under coach Kim Sang-sik.

In their last three matches against Laos and Nepal, Kim's players only scored 6 goals. In particular, the second half of the return match against Nepal and the first half of the return match in Laos showed a complete deadlock in the attack, despite facing opponents ranked outside the top 150 in the world .

Coach Kim Sang-sik has drastically revamped the midfield and attack. After six months without scoring in the V-League, Nguyen Tien Linh is no longer in the Vietnamese national team's plans. Two strikers capable of working hard, moving around a lot, and holding up the ball – Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong and Pham Gia Hung – have been chosen, showing that Coach Kim always prioritizes a direct style of play, needing strikers who move widely, handle the ball cleanly, and can overpower opponents.

Of the 28 Malaysian players preparing to face Vietnam on March 31st, 10 were born outside of Malaysia.

Nguyen Xuan Son's return also provides coach Kim Sang-sik with another top-class attacking option. At the 2024 AFF Cup, the Brazilian-born striker needed only 5 matches to score 7 goals, winning the top scorer award and the best player award. With a striker who possesses strong independent attacking capabilities and good physical presence like Xuan Son, the Vietnamese national team's strategy of prioritizing simple and direct attacking play will have a solution.

However, the key to the Vietnamese national team's operation cannot rely solely on Xuan Son, no matter how talented he is. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team needs a truly top-class midfield to confidently control the game, apply pressure, and create more incisive attacking moves. Previously, the creative responsibility in midfield was assigned to Nguyen Hoang Duc (developing the gameplay), along with attacking midfielders like Nguyen Hai Long and Nguyen Quang Hai (creating breakthroughs). Despite having many quality playmakers, the Vietnamese midfield lacked the kind of passes that could tear apart the opponent's defense and make a difference. Quang Hai used to be the mastermind behind game-changing plays with just a flick of his hip or a swing of his leg, but there was a period when the midfielder born in 1997 lacked explosiveness (because in the Hanoi Police FC's attacking system, the role of organizing and creating breakthroughs belonged to the foreign players).

To upgrade the midfield, coach Kim Sang-sik called up Do Hoang Hen. The 1994-born star possesses everything the Vietnamese midfield lacks: the mindset of a playmaker, the ability to read the game, maintain the tempo, make incisive passes, deliver good crosses, and even shoot from long range or penetrate the penalty area to score. Hoang Hen dares to make passes with a high risk of failure, but when successful, they deliver outstanding results.

The arrival of an "all-in-one" midfielder like Hoang Hen could help free up energy in the midfield. Similar to Xuan Son in the attack at the 2024 AFF Cup, a player of exceptional caliber is enough to inspire and elevate the team. With two playmakers with a tendency to control the tempo like Hoang Hen and Hoang Duc, along with attackers skilled at penetrating space, the Vietnamese national team will play faster, more fluidly, and with greater attacking threat.

Midfielders like Hoang Duc, Hoang Hen, and Quang Hai provide coach Kim with a creative midfield. However, it's important to remember that a midfielder's job isn't just about creativity.

Many defensive midfielders have been called up, such as Nguyen Thai Son, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, Le Pham Thanh Long… but very few have truly excelled. Thai Son hasn't broken through the U.23 level, Minh Khoa has stagnated, and although Thanh Long plays well at Hanoi Police Club, that team is already too… superior in terms of personnel.

The Vietnamese team presents a different challenge for the 30-year-old midfielder. With his tireless work rate and improved passing skills under the coaching of Alexandre Polking, Thanh Long is capable of proving his role as the heart of the midfield. Coach Kim Sang-sik now has a balanced and dynamic midfield to impose his game and defeat Malaysia.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/se-thang-malaysia-185260323215135629.htm