Van Vi shines, who still remembers Van Hau?

The goal against Cambodia in a friendly match on March 19, plus two goals against Laos on the evening of March 25 in the Asian Cup qualifiers, made Nguyen Van Vi the full-back with the most goals for the Vietnamese team under coach Kim Sang-sik (4 goals).

Vi's previous (and first) goal for the Vietnam national team was scored in the 2024 ASEAN Cup. 4 goals, 1 assist after 10 matches are statistics that seem like those of a striker or midfielder, but come from a full-back who has never appeared in the youth level of the Vietnam national team.

After consecutive tests on the left wing, a position that was once a weak point under coach Park Hang-seo and Philippe Troussier without Doan Van Hau, coach Kim Sang-sik finally found the answer.

Van Vi scored a double against Laos when he attacked high and put pressure on the opponent's defense. Photo: Anh Tien .

The test was successful.

Two years ago, Van Vi made his first appearance for the Vietnamese national team under coach Park Hang-seo. In the 2-0 win over Afghanistan on June 1, 2022, Vi started the match, playing for 61 minutes before giving way to Vu Van Thanh.

This was the time when Doan Van Hau was on the decline due to injury, Mr. Park saw that early, so he tried Van Vi.

That experiment did not seem to be as expected, because in all the following official campaigns of the team, the defender born in 1998 from Bac Ninh was absent. Coach Park still used Van Hau as a starter in the AFF Cup 2022, the tournament in which Vietnam won second place. There was controversy about Van Hau, even though he had not fully recovered, still trying to bandage his knee to play.

When the team entered a new transitional phase, Philippe Troussier almost only trusted young players like Vo Minh Trong, Phan Tuan Tai or Khuat Van Khang. As a result, the Vietnam team failed miserably in every arena, from the Asian Cup to the World Cup qualifiers.

After more than 2 years of absence from the Vietnamese national team, it was not until coach Kim Sang-sik that Van Vi had the opportunity to step into the light again. Initially, Mr. Kim was still hesitant to use the framework of his predecessor. It was only after 3 friendly matches with Russia, Thailand and India that the Korean strategist removed Tuan Tai and Hong Duy and added Van Vi, a player who is playing extremely well in the V.League for Nam Dinh .

In 8 consecutive matches at the ASEAN Cup, Van Vi has been on the field at different times due to coach Kim's tactical intentions. Pham Xuan Manh is a bit defensive. Khuat Van Khang is still very young so his experience is limited. Van Vi is the only one who brings a balanced solution between offense and defense to the left wing of the Vietnamese team.

Van Vi is a new solution on the left wing of the Vietnam national team. Photo: Anh Tien.

New situation on the left wing of Vietnam team

Van Vi's physique is not too impressive, only 1.69 m tall, but in return he has a strong physical foundation and the ability to choose a position to coordinate with teammates. He always appears at the right time when the midfielders are looking for someone to pass the ball to, is always ready to accelerate on the sidelines, and even confidently penetrates the center or the penalty area to receive the ball and shoot. Long-range shots, close-range shots, dribbling and crossing, Van Vi does it all well.

Van Vi's ability has been proven at the club level, with a total of 7 goals and 10 assists in all competitions for Ha Tinh, Hanoi and Nam Dinh since playing professionally in 2020.

After Doan Ngoc Tan, the shining case of Nguyen Van Vi is also proof that V.League is still the root and foundation of the Vietnam national team. For Mr. Kim, it doesn't matter who the star is, as long as the player has good form and fits the philosophy, he will definitely have the opportunity to contribute to the team.

With Van Vi, the difficult period on the left wing of the Vietnamese national team is almost over. This year, the team will welcome a new Vietnamese-American face, Cao Quang Vinh (Jason Pendant). Interestingly, Quang Vinh also plays on the left wing, only occasionally playing as a left-sided center-back.

Both Vinh and Vi are good, but which player to use in which match and how to play is the job of coach Kim Sang-sik. We just need to know that the team will have another quality option to confidently move closer to the ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals.

When the left wing of the national team has 2 world-class players, the day Van Hau returns to make a name for himself in the national team will probably be very far away.

Source: https://znews.vn/van-vi-choi-sang-con-ai-nho-den-van-hau-post1540977.html