Vietnam Team: Coach Kim Sang Sik needs to do this to beat Malaysia

Coach Kim Sang Sik's Vietnam team's defense has revealed gaps that need to be fixed immediately if they want to get good results at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Many problems in defense

Before the important match with Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the problem of Vietnam's defense is becoming a focus of concern.

At the ASEAN Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team conceded a total of 6 goals, an impressive number, but worth noting because most of them came from individual mistakes and a loose defense system.

Specifically, there were 3 goals from long-range shots from the opponents when the defensive midfielders and defenders of the Vietnamese team did not have time to close the gap and were not determined to put pressure. Typically, the goals conceded against Singapore or Thailand were all outside the 16m50 box.

Vietnam's defense still has many problems.

Or the goal lost to Cambodia in the friendly match at Go Dau Stadium also came from a similar mistake, the defensive midfielders and central defenders were slow to close in, along with Dinh Trieu's mistake that caused the Vietnamese team to concede a goal.

Besides, the Vietnamese team also made many mistakes in high balls, making Dinh Trieu's goal always in an alarming position. Luckily, the whole tournament only lost 1 header in the first leg of the final against Thailand.

In addition to technical issues, the Vietnamese team also needs to improve their concentration and discipline in defense. The mistake that led to the penalty at the end of the match against Laos or the blameworthy subjectivity in the controversial goal against Thailand and Cambodia are clear evidence.

Mr. Kim is not easy to patch.

In the match against Malaysia, Mr. Kim Sang Sik did not have the best defense when Thanh Binh and Viet Anh were injured, and Thanh Chung had physical problems, so there was more worry for the Vietnamese team.

In the ASEAN Cup, the best central defenders that Mr. Kim Sang Sik always chose were Bui Tien Dung, Thanh Chung, Xuan Manh. And these 3 central defenders were still present when the Korean coach selected the squad to play against Malaysia.

Coach Kim Sang Sik needs to act quickly if he wants to get good results against Malaysia.

However, it must be said that this season Thanh Binh and especially Bui Hoang Viet Anh are the best central defenders in V-League, and are also very strong in aerial situations, so their absence is not a small problem.

Malaysia is getting stronger with naturalized players, and it is worth mentioning that if we look at the recent friendly match, the weak point of Vietnam's defense is what this opponent likes with direct attacks or high balls.

With few days to gather, the defense is clearly a big challenge for coach Kim Sang Sik. And if not thoroughly resolved, the goal of defeating Malaysia in the Asian Cup qualifiers will not be easy to achieve.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-hlv-kim-sang-sik-can-lam-dieu-nay-de-thang-malaysia-2407092.html