U23 Vietnam: Coach Kim Sang Sik's 'reverse chess game'

Championship within reach

On the afternoon of June 20, Coach Kim Sang Sik announced the list of U23 Vietnam players preparing to participate in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament held in Indonesia in July.

Of the 35 players called, up to 1/3 of the names have been or are currently on the Vietnam national team in the past few years such as Khuat Van Khang, Dinh Bac, Thai Son, Trung Kien, Van Truong, Ly Duc... Therefore, U23 Vietnam naturally becomes the most promising candidate for the championship.

With experienced players like Khuat Van Khang, U23 Vietnam continues to be the brightest candidate for the U23 Southeast Asian tournament.

The strength of U23 Vietnam, in theory, will be "destructive". Instead of having to assemble a team with many new elements, the Korean strategist has in hand a nearly complete framework, whose capacity has been proven to be able to quickly operate tactics and deploy gameplay.

Because of this advantage, in addition to the experience of the players on the Vietnamese team, the goal of defending the U23 Southeast Asian championship title becomes more realistic and clearer than ever.

Behind the choice of 'playing it safe'

However, behind this somewhat "safe and secure" choice lies a big question mark about the development direction. Sending key players of the national team to compete in a youth tournament is a step that may go against the general trend of advanced football countries in the world such as Japan, Korea or European countries.

Coach Kim Sang Sik needs a win, and he will most likely get it. But Vietnamese football will continue to stagnate.

In these countries, once a player has been promoted to the national team, he or she almost never returns to youth tournaments. The U23 or U21 stage is reserved entirely for the next generation, a place for new talents to compete, express themselves and gain international experience. That is how they create squad depth, ensuring a continuous and sustainable generational transition.

Mr. Kim Sang Sik's use of the "reverse paradox" may bring more confidence about the championship trophy, but also raises a problem: accidentally closing the door to the national team for many players of the right age group, U23.

This group of players will lose a valuable opportunity to prove themselves and to mature through challenges. U23 Vietnam may win, but on the contrary, it could also be a hindrance to a whole new generation of potential young players waiting to be given a chance and tested.

The U23 Southeast Asian Championship is "planned" to come as a matter of course with this outstanding squad. But in the long term, the question of building a football foundation with inheritance, creating a continuous flow of talent for the Vietnamese team is still open.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-van-co-nguoc-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-2413471.html