At the peak of his career, the 29-year-old striker, currently playing for Ho Chi Minh City Police FC, was left out of the national team despite not being injured – the first time in almost 10 years. Nearly a week after the list was announced, the absence of this striker from Hai Duong is still being discussed.
In fact, in professional football, Tien Linh's absence is understandable. The striker, who won the Vietnamese Golden Ball in 2024 and made significant contributions to the national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers as well as recent AFF Cup and Asian Cup tournaments, has experienced a serious decline in form. His unconvincing performances were so poor that when asked, the head coach of Ho Chi Minh City Police FC, Le Huynh Duc, said that he was forced to use Tien Linh because there was no one else available. His lackluster contributions this season also remind fans that, even during his peak performance periods with the national team, this player still had quite a few incredibly poor ball handling errors.
Coach Kim Sang-sik did not call up players who were out of form. Past reputation is not a guarantee of present success. The national team is missing many familiar faces this March, but that's normal, similar to how fans are gradually getting used to the absence of the "unforgettable trio" Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, and Cong Phuong, or former "heroes" who are no longer at their peak like Bui Tien Dung, Ha Duc Chinh, and Phan Van Duc...
The "March list" was released with a message about objectivity and fairness in personnel selection: Fairness to players who are striving to prove themselves and also to those who have stagnated for various reasons, including complacency that has led to their decline.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thong-diep-ve-su-cong-bang-741874.html
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