Unexpected "weapon" called high ball
After 3 matches from the group stage to the semi-finals of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam scored 7 goals and it is worth mentioning that most of them came from aerial duels, not to mention many opportunities also came from here.
High balls from set pieces or crosses are truly the effective main attack of coach Kim Sang Sik's team in this year's competition.
This is very surprising, if not a "transformation" compared to the traditional image of Vietnamese football when it is always difficult in aerial battles, and is often strongest based on technique, speed and low-level coordination.
The fact that U23 Vietnam can now turn the high ball into a powerful attacking option shows the progress in the players' tactical arrangement and ability to take advantage of opportunities. Obviously, Mr. Kim Sang Sik has studied and honed this attack very carefully, turning an inherent weakness into a surprising strength.
And the "Achilles heel" in defense
However, the paradox is that while U23 Vietnam continuously scores goals from aerial battles, all the goals that coach Kim Sang Sik's team has conceded so far have also come from high balls.
The goal conceded in the match against U23 Cambodia or the early loss against U23 Philippines in the semi-finals both had the same scenario: the defense appeared confused by the opponent's crosses before conceding a goal.
Only 2 goals conceded from aerial situations may not seem like much, but remember that in the match against U23 Cambodia or U23 Laos, the U23 Vietnam defense also had difficulty with high-altitude balls.
Ly Duc and Hieu Minh - the pillars of the defense - know how to choose the landing point when entering the opponent's 16m50 area, but when needed, they have difficulty choosing position and making judgments in aerial disputes.
Therefore, coach Kim Sang Sik has reason to be satisfied when his students' ability to fight in the air and score goals is very effective. However, on the other hand, it is not easy to feel secure because the strengths are also the "Achilles' heels" that U23 Vietnam carries, not to mention the exact problem of the attack line is also very headache.
Watch the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship live and in full on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-khi-diem-manh-cung-la-got-chan-achilles-2426038.html
Comment (0)