There is no lack of muscle mass.
Former VFF Vice President for Professional Affairs, Duong Vu Lam, commented: "The current U23 Vietnam squad possesses many players with good physiques. Of course, this squad is still inferior to the players in the U23 Asian Championship in terms of height and weight. But the gap in height and weight with Asian opponents has been narrowed. Compared to our past selves, and compared to the general level of Southeast Asian football, U23 Vietnam has made significant progress in physique and fitness."
Vietnam U23 team is both strong and skillful.
Photo: TED Tran
The improvement in physique and fitness of the Vietnamese U23 players has given coach Kim Sang-sik enough personnel to compete in tackles, speed races, and aerial duels with opponents when needed. For example, in the match against Saudi Arabia U23 on the night of January 12th, anticipating the opponent's intention to play aggressively, compete strongly, and use high speed to trouble our defense, coach Kim Sang-sik fielded the fittest and most physically strong players in the starting lineup of the Vietnamese U23 team.
Besides familiar faces like goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (1.91 m), center-backs Nguyen Hieu Minh (1.84 m) and Pham Ly Duc (1.82 m), Coach Kim also fielded central midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong (1.78 m), midfielder Le Viktor (1.78 m), and striker Nguyen Ngoc My (1.77 m). These players are very strong and capable of competing in one-on-one challenges with the Saudi Arabian U23 players.
Maintaining traditional strengths in physical fitness.
The addition of physically strong players alongside skilled players like Khuất Văn Khang and Nguyễn Thái Sơn, and later Nguyễn Đình Bắc and Nguyễn Lê Phát (from the second half), made the U23 Vietnam team's playing style quite diverse. Opponents had to be wary of Coach Kim Sang-sik's team, both in situations where we were awarded corner kicks and in situations where we were allowed to penetrate the defense with group combinations and dribbling skills from Đình Bắc and Lê Phát.
Coach Kim Sang-sik has all the necessary elements to build a diverse playing style for the Vietnam U23 team.
Photo: TED Tran
This is a major difference between the current squad and previous generations of Vietnamese football. Previously, Vietnamese players were known for their technical skills, but we were at a disadvantage in terms of physique. In the past, Vietnamese football teams were often not strong in exploiting set pieces, especially corner kicks.
Now, things have changed. The current Vietnam U23 team is more balanced and diverse in its approach to attacking the opponent's goal. This makes it harder for opponents to predict, and at the same time increases the Vietnam U23 team's chances of scoring against the opponents we face in the Asian tournament.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-vua-khoe-lai-vua-kheo-cac-doi-thu-tro-tay-khong-kip-185260113111913362.htm
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