From the first 'draft'
Vietnam U23 had a smooth start at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament when they defeated Laos U23 with a score of 3-0. However, this victory still could not create a real sense of excitement or peace of mind for fans, especially when looking at the way Coach Kim Sang Sik's students performed on the field.
Despite using almost the strongest lineup, U23 Vietnam's play against Laos still lacked clear highlights. Attacks mainly came from individual efforts or opponent mistakes, instead of sharp, methodical coordination.
More worryingly, some players with high expectations have not shown their best form. Names like Quoc Viet and Dinh Bac had a match below their ability, lacking their sharpness and natural ball feeling. That is the reason why the opening match was more like a draft with many corrections than an affirmation of strength.
Need Mr. Kim Sang Sik... to take risks
Because the 'draft' still has many details that need to be fixed, the match with U23 Cambodia becomes the best opportunity for coach Kim Sang Sik to carry out bold experiments for U23 Vietnam to aim for the semi-finals.
With their superior class, U23 Vietnam can completely take the initiative and impose themselves like they did against U23 Laos in the opening match. However, with a position that is almost certain to have a ticket to the semi-finals (if they do not lose), Coach Kim Sang Sik should give the field to... U23 Cambodia to show off for a certain period of time.
This way of playing is an extremely valuable “test” for the defense, which had a rather “idle” match against U23 Laos. Putting the defenders and defensive midfielders under pressure can help Mr. Kim more accurately assess his players’ endurance, cover and concentration - the most important factors for the next step at U23 Southeast Asia 2025.
In addition, proactive defense is also a golden opportunity to hone U23 Vietnam's counter-attacking "secret weapon". When giving up the game, the space behind the opponent's defense will open up. This is an ideal condition to test the speed of transition, the accuracy of long passes and the ability to take advantage of opportunities of the strikers.
A little risk in a non-life-threatening match helps coach Kim Sang Sik have a plan B that U23 Vietnam will definitely need when facing stronger opponents in the semi-finals and finals.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-dau-campuchia-can-su-mao-hiem-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-2424274.html
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