U23 Vietnam: What needs to be fixed to 'improve quality' in the U23 Asia qualifiers?

In addition to the mission of winning a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam and coach Kim Sang Sik also set many other goals from the upcoming qualifying round in Phu Tho.

View from the U23 Southeast Asian tournament

The 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship is an encouraging result for coach H LV Kim Sang Sik and his team. However, if we look closely at the performance, the existing problems are still evident and make fans and experts unable to be completely assured of U23 Vietnam.

The biggest weakness is finishing, statistics show that the U23 Vietnam team's shot on target rate is only about 32%, too low compared to the number of opportunities created. Even in dominant matches like against Laos or Cambodia, coach Kim Sang Sik's team still wasted a series of situations, forced to wait for set pieces to break the deadlock.

U23 Vietnam deservedly won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, but there are still many problems.

In fact, 7/8 of U23 Vietnam's goals came from corner kicks, free kicks or high balls. The lack of diversity in the playing style, relying heavily on physical strength and aerial ability, shows that the attack line has not yet achieved the necessary cohesion.

The defense also showed a lack of concentration at times. The two goals conceded in the tournament both came from set pieces or individual mistakes.

Although the team still maintained their solidity in the end, this is a warning that the red team is not really "tight" when facing opponents who are able to take advantage of opportunities better. In other words, the Southeast Asian championship helps U23 Vietnam affirm its position in the region, but is not enough to reassure fans about the ability to go further.

What to expect in the U23 Asian qualifiers

Entering the upcoming U23 Asian qualifiers, the U23 Vietnam squad remains almost the same, with only midfielder Tran Thanh Trung added. This reinforcement clearly cannot create immediate breakthrough changes.

Certainly the problems in the Southeast Asian tournament, from lack of sharp finishing to monotonous playing style, will be difficult to solve in a short time with only a few days of gathering.

Hope coach Kim Sang Sik will solve the problem for U23 Vietnam, to complete all the set goals.

However, there are still reasons to have faith in coach Kim Sang Sik and his team. Firstly, the players have just gone through an official tournament, played under pressure and learned many practical lessons. That friction can help them understand each other better, improve their common voice in coordination.

Second, coach Kim Sang Sik has more data to refine personnel, choose the right lineup and find solutions to diversify the playing style.

Finally, the mental factor is the belief after a championship can become an important driving force for a bigger journey.

The U23 Asian qualifiers will be much tougher than the regional tournament, but if they know how to turn limitations into lessons, U23 Vietnam can completely show a completely different face - stronger, more effective and more perfect.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-can-sua-gi-de-nang-chat-o-vong-loai-u23-chau-a-2436865.html