The midfield of U.23 Vietnam is full of talent

Coach Kim Sang-sik has many good midfielders to build a quality midfield for U.23 Vietnam.

N PERFECT INGREDIENTS

Although not leaving a clear mark in goals or defense, it is undeniable that a balanced midfield is an important factor helping U.23 Vietnam successfully defend the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian Championship.

Coach Kim Sang-sik built a balanced midfield, with the duo Xuan Bac and Van Truong in the central midfielder role, and two runners Anh Quan and Phi Hoang on the wing. Mr. Kim also had bold plans, when using attacking midfielder Cong Phuong (only 19 years old) in the semi-finals and finals, and then it was the "young shoot" of The Cong Viettel who scored the only goal to help U.23 Vietnam defeat U.23 Indonesia in the final.

Cong Phuong (18) is a new discovery of U.23 Vietnam.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

The Xuan Bac factor is also a new discovery of Mr. Kim, when the young talent of PVF-CAND played steadily in the midfield, and also scored a goal to help U.23 Vietnam come back to defeat U.23 Philippines.

The common point of U.23 Vietnam midfielders, whether they are in the starting lineup or on the bench, is that they always play with passion, enthusiasm, compete and press fiercely when they do not have the ball, while maintaining a relatively stable rhythm when launching attacks. The midfield plays an important role in helping U.23 Vietnam control the intensity of the game, thanks to which coach Kim Sang-sik's students have maintained a stable rhythm in the semi-finals and finals.

Despite being led by U.23 Philippines in the semi-finals, or facing suffocating pressure at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in the final against U.23 Indonesia, the "lungs" of U.23 Vietnam still breathed steadily. It was the steadfastness in the middle of the field that helped Mr. Kim and his team overcome difficulties to win the championship.

No one changed the winning formula, so Mr. Kim decided to keep the midfield framework, combining the experience of players who used to play for the national team such as Van Truong, Thai Son, Van Khang, with factors that performed well in the V-League such as Phi Hoang, Le Viktor, and the new breeze of Van Thuan and Xuan Bac.

In particular, Mr. Kim also summoned Tran Thanh Trung for the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers. The midfielder born in 2005 is a valuable seed of Vietnamese football, having trained for many years in Bulgaria in the CSKA Sofia shirt. At the age of 20, he played 62 matches in the Bulgarian national championship, wearing the U.19 and U.21 shirts of this country. Returning to Vietnam to wear the Ninh Binh shirt, although he has not yet won a starting position due to weather and physical barriers, he is highly appreciated for his technical and tactical skills.

Thanh Trung is a rare midfielder trained in the "shuttle" model, this position requires the player to have a good physical foundation to plow through both defense and attack, and be able to handle many tasks such as blocking, deploying the ball, or moving up to create and score goals. With a mindset honed in Europe, with just time to adapt and opportunity, Thanh Trung is capable of revealing his abilities. This training session is an opportunity for Mr. Kim to evaluate his student's overall ability and level, in order to plan for Thanh Trung's development at U.23 Vietnam.

PERFECT THE GAMEPLAY

Besides preparing tactics for the matches against U.23 Bangladesh (September 3), U.23 Singapore (September 6) and U.23 Yemen (September 9), U.23 Vietnam needs to hone and perfect their playing style.

Coach Kim Sang-sik admitted that there are still some weak points in U.23 Vietnam. First is the ability to finish, when the midfielders and strikers shoot the ball without sharpness, often wasting opportunities. U.23 Vietnam also does not coordinate the ball well, when the goals scored in the Southeast Asian tournament mainly come from set pieces or high balls.

Mr. Kim's students have yet to create a smooth, seamless style of play. To win the Southeast Asian championship, U.23 Vietnam may just need to make good use of every moment or situation. But to elevate this generation of players to the level of being able to inherit their seniors in the Vietnam national team, it is clear that U.23 Vietnam's style of play needs to be more diverse and varied, thereby promoting the technical and tactical qualities of the players. That is, not only winning, but also paying attention to how to win.

In the reform of U.23 Vietnam by coach Kim, the midfield will play a core role. The new look of the Vietnamese youth team will start from here.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tuyen-giua-day-ap-nhan-tai-cua-u23-viet-nam-185250826202505982.htm