U.23 Vietnam: Where is the midfield leader? Coach Kim is looking for him with tired eyes!

U.23 Vietnam lacks midfield leader

Despite a good start under coach Kim Sang-sik with 7 wins against 7 opponents from Southeast Asia to Asia, it cannot be said that U.23 Vietnam is a perfect team.

Mr. Kim's students mainly won thanks to a solid defense (clean sheet in 5/7 matches), along with the ability to take advantage of good opportunities in set pieces and high balls.

In some matches (like the matches against U.23 Cambodia, U.23 Yemen or U.23 Indonesia), U.23 Vietnam could not even dominate the game, but only won thanks to a moment of brilliance.

U.23 Vietnam: Where is the midfield leader? Coach Kim is looking for him with tired eyes! - Photo 1.

Xuan Bac is trusted by Mr. Kim in the midfield

PHOTO: MINH TU

At the 33rd SEA Games or the 2026 U.23 Asian Championship, U.23 Vietnam may still win thanks to the moment. However, in the long run, Mr. Kim's team needs more than that. If U.23 is considered the cradle of training talents for the national team, the players need to develop a coherent playing mindset, smooth ball control and complete attacking tactics. Mr. Kim's innovation needs to be carried out at the "heart" of the team, which is the midfield.

Although U.23 Vietnam is moving forward, the midfield's mark is not much.

At the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament, only 2/8 goals of U.23 Vietnam were scored by midfielders (Xuan Bac scored against the Philippines, Cong Phuong scored against Indonesia). In the U.23 Asia qualifiers, only one midfielder scored, that was Le Viktor (scored against Bangladesh).

However, Cong Phuong and Le Viktor are both attacking midfielders. Only Xuan Bac is a central midfielder, truly controlling the play.

In fact, goals are not the measure of a midfielder. Hung Dung and Hoang Duc have won the Vietnam Golden Ball despite not scoring regularly. The ability to control the ball, lead the game, vision, and ability to create are the indicators worth watching. But, looking at it from this angle, perhaps no player has satisfied Coach Kim.

U.23 Vietnam: Where is the midfield leader? Coach Kim is looking for him with tired eyes! - Photo 2.

Coach Kim must solve the midfield problem

PHOTO: MINH TU

Xuan Bac is the most popular midfielder in U.23. Mr. Kim once said that his student "can become an all-round midfielder", but with less than 4 months of experience playing in V-League, Xuan Bac will find it difficult to become the one to carry the midfield.

Called up to the national team earlier than Xuan Bac (from 2023), midfielder Thai Son brought with him 91 matches for Thanh Hoa Club, along with 19 matches for the U.23 and national teams. On the eve of the second SEA Games in his career, Thai Son should have played a key role at this time.

However, the midfielder from Thanh Hoa is standing on the thin line between starting and reserve. At the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asia tournament, Thai Son only played 76 minutes against U.23 Laos, and... 9 minutes in the final match against U.23 Indonesia. Thai Son has stagnated and has not progressed as expected.

Van Truong also brings a feeling of regret. Having played in the 2022 U.23 Asian Cup, when he was only 19 years old, but for the past 3 years, Van Truong has not been able to take a starting position at Hanoi Club. Van Truong was on the bench in 6/10 recent matches, playing only 86 minutes at the club in the past 3 months.

The midfielder born in 2003 is still trusted by Mr. Kim with 353/360 minutes on the field at the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament, however, limited playing time at the club is a minus point for Van Truong.

Gameplay problem

With Mr. Kim's way of using people, it is likely that the duo Van Truong and Xuan Bac will still be in the starting lineup at SEA Games 33.

While Van Truong shields and carries the ball well, capable of creating breakthroughs, Xuan Bac tends to control the ball with careful and safe passes.

U.23 Vietnam: Where is the midfield leader? Coach Kim is looking for him with tired eyes! - Photo 3.

Van Truong was given trust?

PHOTO: MINH TU

With this duo, U.23 Vietnam will play solidly and carefully in the midfield, keeping the game safe to ensure defense first.

The breakthrough phase will be assigned to creative attackers like Dinh Bac, Thanh Nhan... or even good scoring central defenders like Hieu Minh, Ly Duc. The defense has contributed to 3/8 goals of U.23 Vietnam in the Southeast Asian playground, thanks to the brave aerial defenders. This could be the weapon that Mr. Kim will sharpen, to break down disciplined and deep defenses.

In previous SEA Games, Coach Park Hang-seo also faced a shortage of good midfielders. He reserved the overage slot to call Hung Dung to play in SEA Games 30, then called Hung Dung and Hoang Duc to play as midfielders in SEA Games 31.

Coach Kim Sang-sik does not have this "right to help". He only has that much talent. Finding a good midfielder, which requires a lot of playing experience (which U.23 Vietnam is lacking), is a difficult problem.

Solving it, Mr. Kim will bring U.23 Vietnam to a new level.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-thu-linh-tuyen-giua-o-dau-thay-kim-moi-mat-tim-18525111023012628.htm