Old Choice

The list of Vietnam's team preparing for the match with Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers has just been announced without much surprise because coach Kim Sang Sik only called up 2 new faces, Cong Phuong and Cao Pendant Quang Vinh.

An unsurprising decision, due to coach Kim Sang Sik's certain caution against an opponent considered the biggest unknown since he led the Vietnamese team.

With a short preparation time for the match, and the inability to arrange a friendly match (like the training session in March) before visiting Malaysia, Mr. Kim Sang Sik chose the safe option, which is reasonable.

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The list of Vietnam team preparing for the match against Malaysia is not too new.

Challenge for Coach Kim Sang Sik

In the last two matches after winning the ASEAN Cup, despite winning against weaker opponents like Cambodia (2-1) and Laos (5-0), the Vietnamese team still exposed many limitations in the way they played.

Coach Kim Sang Sik's team controlled the game but lacked efficiency in finishing, especially in set pieces and final combinations.

The defense is also a big problem. In the match against Cambodia, the Vietnamese team conceded a goal from a simple situation, stemming from the lack of concentration of the central defenders and goalkeeper.

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So coach Kim Sang Sik and his colleagues need to renew and reinforce their playing style in a safer way.

Or like in the match against Laos, although not conceding any goals, the Vietnamese defense was put in a difficult position many times due to the lack of coordination between the fullbacks and center-backs in countering quick counterattacks.

Because of what has been revealed, coach Kim Sang Sik needs to make adjustments, improve the defensive ability and the way to convert the state to attack for the Vietnamese team in a better way.

The above requirement is mandatory if the Vietnamese team wants to defeat Malaysia in the match at Bukit Jail against the home team that possesses a squad rich in physical strength, speed or naturalized players.

Solving the above problem, although there are not many new factors, but with veterans and high-quality additions from Cong Phuong or Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, the Vietnamese team is completely capable of overcoming the big challenge called Malaysia.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-lua-chon-cu-va-thach-thuc-moi-cho-hlv-kim-sang-sik-2404458.html