Teacher Kim is scrutinizing things very carefully!

Opportunities for stars absent from the 2024 AFF Cup.

To prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (starting March 25th), the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has drawn up a detailed plan. Accordingly, on March 20th, the Vietnamese national team is scheduled to play a friendly match against Myanmar at Binh Duong Stadium. This match will allow coach Kim Sang-sik to review the squad and conduct a final overall assessment of the Vietnamese team's strength before participating in the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Domestic strikers want to make their mark while Xuan Son is injured.

Without Xuan Son in the lineup, will the Vietnamese national team play differently?

In the Asian Cup qualifiers in March and June this year, the Vietnamese national team will certainly be without striker Nguyen Xuan Son due to injury. This is a risk for the Vietnamese team in general and for Xuan Son in particular, but it is also an opportunity for other strikers to showcase their abilities and prove their worth to the team.

Besides Nguyen Tien Linh, who is almost certain to start as center forward in place of Xuan Son, other forwards will be competing for a place alongside the player currently playing for Binh Duong. In some recent matches in domestic competitions (V-League and National Cup), two domestic strikers have performed well: Nham Manh Dung (The Cong Viettel ) and Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong (Binh Duong).

These two strikers were absent from the 2024 AFF Cup, but they may be given a chance in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Both Viet Cuong (1.80 m tall) and Manh Dung (1.81 m) are strikers with advantageous physiques, decent technique, and international experience, having previously played for the Vietnam U23 team. Viet Cuong, in particular, has excellent free-kick abilities, which would increase the Vietnamese national team's threat in set-piece situations. It would not be surprising if these strikers were given playing time in the match against Laos (March 25th) in the Asian Cup qualifiers, or the friendly match against Myanmar (March 20th).

Among the forwards who will not be participating in the 2024 AFF Cup, young player Dinh Bac ( Hanoi Police FC) and veteran star Nguyen Cong Phuong (Binh Phuoc) are also names that are attracting attention from fans.

These are technically gifted players who could help coach Kim Sang-sik transform the Vietnamese national team's attacking style, shifting from the previous long-ball, physically demanding style that relied heavily on Xuan Son, to a more short-passing, ball-controlling style in the attacking line, especially now that Xuan Son is injured.

Hendrio's foreign player speaks Vietnamese exceptionally well, showing off his new kumquat and peach blossom arrangements for Tet (Vietnamese New Year).

Positive competition among domestic strikers.

Conversely, regarding the forwards who were named in the AFF Cup squad, they still need to strive harder if they don't want to lose their place in the national team. This includes forward Dinh Thanh Binh, who had a rather lackluster performance at the Southeast Asian Football Championship. Dinh Thanh Binh was also the only forward for the Vietnamese national team at the 2024 AFF Cup who did not score any goals.

Young talent Bui Vi Hao is currently a striker attracting attention in domestic football.

Thanh Bình needs to prove himself more effective than before if he hopes to retain his place in the national team, especially given the current abundance of other strikers, such as Nhâm Mạnh Dũng, Nguyễn Trần Việt Cường, Nguyễn Đình Bắc, and Nguyễn Công Phượng, who are eager to replace Đinh Thanh Bình in the Vietnamese national team.

Even players who performed well at the AFF Cup, like Bui Vi Hao and Nguyen Van Toan, still need to improve to prove they deserve a place in the national team. The competition among domestic strikers will therefore be intense in the coming days. This competition will motivate the Vietnamese national team to develop better, creating momentum for a better and more exciting domestic football scene!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vang-xuan-son-co-hoi-but-pha-cua-cac-chan-sut-noi-thay-kim-soi-ky-day-18525012311422794.htm