U.23 Vietnam lost its best central midfield pair, is Mr. Kim confused...

Injury forced midfielder Xuan Bac to leave the field early in the match against U.23 Laos, causing the U.23 Vietnam midfield to face a real challenge at SEA Games 33.

Xuan Bac in the opening match of U.23 Vietnam against U.23 Laos

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Xuan Bac is injured, U.23 Vietnam is worried about the midfield

In the 39th minute, midfielder Xuan Bac, after receiving support from the medical team, had to signal to be substituted, after receiving a collision with a Laos U.23 player from the beginning of the match, who was determined to play and strongly approach the Vietnam U.23. Coach Kim Sang-sik immediately sent Quoc Cuong in to replace him.

Thus, after less than the first half of the 33rd SEA Games, the U.23 Vietnam team lost two names that were top candidates for the central midfielder position that coach Kim Sang-sik had carefully planned for the past year: Xuan Bac and Van Truong - who just had knee surgery after the 2025 Panda Cup.

These unexpected disadvantages will force coach Kim Sang-sik to carefully recalculate the personnel problem in the midfield, which has a very important role, shouldering the task of blocking and keeping the rhythm, coordinating the ball and connecting the lines.

Quoc Cuong replaced the injured Xuan Bac and played well.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

At this time, the Korean coach temporarily responded with the duo Thai Son - Quoc Cuong. However, the U.23 Vietnam force still has notable personnel plans to prepare for bad possibilities.

Waiting for Mr. Kim's calculation

First, on the bench of the U.23 Vietnam team, there is still Nguyen Cong Phuong, a young talent born in 2006 of the Viettel The Cong team, and versatile player Nguyen Duc Anh of the Da Nang club.

At the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament, Mr. Kim arranged for Cong Phuong to start in the final match against U.23 Indonesia and he scored the only goal to bring about a minimal victory, thereby helping U.23 Vietnam win the championship for the third consecutive time in this tournament.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has many midfield options for U.23 Vietnam

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Although Mr. Kim often arranged him to play as an attacking midfielder or wide around the striker, Cong Phuong's forte is in the middle of the field. At The Cong Viettel, he often practiced and played in this position.

In addition, the Korean strategist still has another option, player Duc Anh, who can play well as a full-back and central midfielder. In the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers, he was sent into the field by Mr. Kim in the second half to replace Van Truong in the middle of the field.

Especially in cases where they need to play all-in, U.23 Vietnam can pull captain Van Khang inside, like the way he and Van Truong created a shining central midfield pair at the 2022 U.23 Asian Cup, when they were only 20 years old.

After a 2-1 victory over U.23 Laos thanks to a double from Dinh Bac, the U.23 Vietnam team will have more than a week to rest before entering the final match of Group B against U.23 Malaysia on December 11.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-mat-cap-tien-ve-trung-tam-tot-nhat-ong-kim-co-boi-roi-185251203174951853.htm