Used to live on high balls
In the journey to conquer the recent U23 Southeast Asian championship, fans and experts witnessed a Vietnam U23 (actually the current U22) team performing extremely effectively in aerial combat situations.
More than half of the goals scored in the tournament in Indonesia (4/7 goals) came from set pieces such as corner kicks, direct free kicks or precise high balls into the penalty area.
With players in good physical shape, U22 Vietnam used to be very strong in aerial combat situations.
This effectiveness not only comes from the improved physique of the central defenders and strikers but is also the result of carefully constructed tactics from coach Kim Sang Sik.
This has made fans hopeful, and experts reassured because coach Kim Sang Sik's team has been equipped with a sharp weapon, diversifying their approach to the opponent's goal.
But now it needs to be different.
It is unclear how U22 Vietnam performed in the two closed friendly matches with Qatar in the UAE (although they scored two goals), but in the U23 Asian qualifiers or the Panda Cup friendly, aerial balls are no longer absolutely useful, especially when facing opponents with better physical condition.
The opponents quickly neutralized U22 Vietnam's flank attacks by arranging personnel to closely mark the players, fiercely competing in the 16m50 area and actively pressing from both wings to limit accurate crosses.
What happened in the last two tournaments, the U23 Asian qualifiers and the Panda Cup, perhaps coach Kim Sang Sik needs to calculate differently.
Notably, even when facing a team in the same region with a lower level like U22 Singapore, set pieces or high balls from both wings of U22 Vietnam also showed low efficiency, even harmless.
The problem is that when the opponent can neutralize the high ball, the ability to organize attacks in the middle or small coordination plans of U22 Vietnam is not sharp enough to create breakthroughs. Over-reliance on a single attack plan makes U22 Vietnam easy to predict and fall into a deadlock in important matches at SEA Games 33, where opponents like Thailand and Indonesia will certainly study very carefully.
So, it seems that coach Kim Sang Sik needs to help U22 Vietnam diversify their attacks even more. High balls should still be an option, but not the only option.
Flexibility in central attacks, long-range finishing ability and quick coordination need to be improved so that U22 Vietnam can truly become an unpredictable team and be capable of conquering the SEA Games 33 gold medal.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u22-viet-nam-khi-khong-chien-khong-con-la-loi-the-2467237.html
Comment (0)