Vietnam team reveals fatal weakness and misses Xuan Son

(Dan Tri) - Although the Vietnamese team won 3-1 against Nepal, the team's attack still brings many worries. We are lacking a sharp striker like Xuan Son.

The Vietnamese team had a much more difficult match than expected against Nepal. After that match, the problem of the “Golden Dragons” attack became prominent again. Because, if the Vietnamese strikers had finished better, we would not have had such a difficult time.

The Vietnamese team's attack revealed many problems after the victory over Nepal (Photo: Nam Anh).

Statistics show that the Vietnamese team held the ball for 75% of the time, had 24 shots (10 on target) and had 11 corner kicks. That said, all the stats are in favor of coach Kim Sang Sik's team. But we still have difficulty scoring, even when the opponent plays with 10 men.

It is easy to see that the playing style of the Vietnamese team under coach Kim Sang Sik is not really smooth, but clearly, the strikers have been given certain opportunities. The fact that the team "only" scored 3 goals with difficulty against a weak opponent (having lost to Laos) is something that brings a lot of worries.

Coach Kim Sang Sik admitted this weakness after the match with Nepal: "The Vietnamese team's attack needs to be more careful. With such a number of shots, we should have scored more goals."

The problem lies in the players' legs. In many situations, our strikers handled the ball rather hastily and did not create a good finishing position. Tien Linh lacked the stability to carry the attack. He did not always handle and finish well like the opening goal against Nepal. Similarly, Tuan Hai and Hoang Duc were not strong in scoring ability.

Perhaps, after witnessing the recent match, Vietnamese fans felt like they missed Xuan Son. In the AFF Cup 2024, the Brazilian striker appeared and brought a real new breeze to the Vietnamese team's attack. That was the best period of the team's attack in the past few years.

After 5 appearances in the AFF Cup 2024, Xuan Son has scored 7 goals (equal to 50% of the team's total goals). In addition, the striker born in 1997 can both operate independently and combine with other satellites.

Looking at the way Xuan Son handles the ball and finishes, one can see that he is completely different from the strikers of the Vietnam team at this time. Unfortunately, a serious injury forced him to stay away from the field for months, causing the "Golden Dragons" to lose their sharpness and create breakthroughs.

The Vietnamese team's attack really needs a boost from Xuan Son (Photo: Tien Tuan).

Not to mention, if there is a lot of pressure from Xuan Son in the front line, the Vietnamese team's lines will also be relieved. The team's defense played quite loosely in the match with Malaysia as well as in Nepal's opening goal.

In the rematch with the Vietnamese team on October 14 at Thong Nhat Stadium (HCMC), Nepal will certainly choose a defensive strategy to stop coach Kim Sang Sik and his team.

If the attack line cannot be smooth, the “Golden Dragons” may continue to face difficulties. Not only Nepal, many weak opponents in the future will choose the “concrete” style of play. That will be a big challenge for the Vietnamese team’s attack line.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tuyen-viet-nam-lo-diem-yeu-chi-tu-va-noi-nho-xuan-son-20251011142031049.htm