Coach Kim Sang-sik requested a practice match with Nam Dinh FC when the friendly match with Lebanon was canceled due to force majeure. The Korean coach took full advantage of the opportunity to test new tactical options compared to the past four matches.
Van Quyet returns
Coach Kim Sang-sik placed Nguyen Van Quyet in the starting lineup right away when he returned to the Vietnam national team. In general, when Nam Dinh FC played with 8 foreign players, the Vietnam national team had difficulty organizing attacks.
In this half, Van Quyet moved very widely, doing a good job of connecting, especially when he played with familiar teammates like Nguyen Quang Hai and Do Hung Dung. When the striker born in 1991 was on the field, the Vietnamese team played coherently.
Nguyen Van Quyet started in the match against Nam Dinh.
Coach Kim Sang-sik is serious about using the Hanoi FC striker in the attack of the Vietnam national team. However, he needs Van Quyet to prove himself more in the national team shirt. The Korean coach also has to try more options to combine this striker with other teammates in the attack.
Location of Thai Son
The next notable change by coach Kim Sang-sik is in the tactical system and the “key” is midfielder Nguyen Thai Son. Instead of using the 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation like in the matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies, Mr. Kim applied the 4-3-3 tactical system.
Thai Son plays in the position of “anchor” midfielder – the lowest of the 3 midfielders and positioned right in front of the defense. The strengths of the player born in 2003 are his tireless movement, his defensive support and blocking skills are very good.
Nguyen Thai Son (far right) scored a goal against Nam Dinh.
Recently, Thai Son has been practicing a new “weapon” which is powerful long-range shots. He scored 2 goals in 2 consecutive matches, both from “cannon shots” outside the penalty area. Thai Son’s task is simply to win the ball back and let his seniors like Hung Dung and Quang Hai organize the attack.
Xuan Manh plays center back
The biggest surprise that coach Kim Sang-sik created in the match against Nam Dinh came from Pham Xuan Manh. In his career, the 28-year-old midfielder has only played as a defender, winger and central midfielder.
This time, Mr. Kim arranged Xuan Manh to play as a center back with Giap Tuan Duong. Of course, Xuan Manh cannot achieve a 10-point quality like other pure center backs. In return, his speed and strength greatly limit the danger from Nguyen Xuan Son.
Xuan Manh plays center back for the first time.
In the first half and the first few minutes of the second half, Xuan Son played well but rarely had dangerous opportunities. The Brazilian striker's ball handling did not pose any difficulties for Xuan Manh and Tuan Duong. However, Xuan Manh's weakness in height and sense of space in his new position brought many problems. In the first half, Mota and Lucas scored 2 goals, both from set pieces.
In the official tournament, it is difficult for coach Kim Sang-sik to trust Xuan Manh to play as a center back. However, if in case of force majeure, Xuan Manh is the most likely choice among the "non-professional" center backs.
Mai Phuong
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