Creating opportunities for young talent

Despite shining at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers, many young players will find it difficult to compete for positions with their veteran seniors.

The Vietnamese team has completed the goal of winning maximum points through the 3rd and 4th matches of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. However, the performance of coach Kim Sang-sik's team has not convinced the audience, when they struggled to win against an opponent that was inferior in every aspect.

Refresh the force

Two victories over Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers during FIFA Days in October 2025 showed that the Vietnamese team needs to boldly renew its core force and give young talents opportunities to compete.

Goalkeeper Trung Kien and center back Hieu Minh were named in the starting lineup of the Vietnamese team for the first time in this continental tournament. Both played well in the match where Vietnam narrowly won against Nepal on October 14.

The Vietnamese team (left) needs to add youth to increase its strength in the coming time. Photo: QUOC AN

Trung Kien, with a height of 1.92 m, showed maturity and confidence when playing. Not only did he have a close connection with his teammates, the goalkeeper of Hoang Anh Gia Lai also showed the ability to enter and exit appropriately, knowing how to control the 16m50 area. This 22-year-old "Spiderman" impressed when he kept a clean sheet in his first time playing for the national team.

Hieu Minh also completed his mission excellently when he was chosen by coach Kim Sang-sik to replace Bui Tien Dung - who suffered a back injury and could not play in the rematch against Nepal at Thong Nhat Stadium. Hieu Minh's enthusiasm and enthusiasm helped his senior Duy Manh reduce the pressure of competing for the ball with the opponent. Regularly attacking and defending, this 21-year-old rookie of PVF - People's Public Security Club contributed greatly to the only goal of the Vietnamese team.

Dinh Bac, Van Khang, Thanh Nhan were also given the opportunity to play by coach Kim Sang-sik during the recent FIFA Days. Although they did not score in the two matches against Nepal, these three U23 strikers helped improve the attacking style of the Vietnamese team.

Of the 8 U23 players promoted to the Vietnamese national team to participate in the recent 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Phi Hoang, Nhat Minh, Xuan Bac and Van Viet have not had the opportunity to play yet.

Improve performance

There have been mixed opinions about the performance of the Vietnamese team during the FIFA Days in October 2025. Most people believe that coach Kim Sang-sik's team lacked ideas in building tactical strategies due to the absence of many veterans.

There are many differences between the Vietnam team when it won the ASEAN Cup 2024 and now. The team is missing a series of key players such as Nguyen Xuan Son, Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Nguyen Quang Hai, Chau Ngoc Quang, Bui Hoang Viet Anh or Nguyen Thanh Chung... The group of veteran players such as Hoang Duc, Tuan Hai, Hai Long also lost their form because their physical condition was affected by injuries.

Therefore, despite playing against a team 62 places lower on the FIFA rankings, the Vietnamese team still struggled to find a goal throughout the 90 minutes of the return match. To improve the performance of the Vietnamese team, Mr. Kim needs to test more new players to refresh the force for the main and reserve squads in the coming time.

Coach Kim Sang-sik said: "The U23 Vietnam players have been given the opportunity to play as a result of healthy competition in training. Thanks to the appearance of young players, the competition within the team has increased, helping the team to operate the game better."

"Dinh Bac, Van Khang, Trung Kien, Hieu Minh, Thanh Nhan... will be the mainstay players of the Vietnam U22 team preparing to participate in the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 U23 Asian finals.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tao-co-hoi-cho-tai-nang-tre-196251016213942081.htm