To overcome all opponents, U.23 Vietnam needs this special factor...

To lead Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, the Vietnam U23 team needs to have better endurance than its opponents, because we have to play 3 matches in 6 days.

Does the dense competition schedule affect U.23 Vietnam?

Specifically, the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifying campaign will take place from September 3 to 9. After the match with U23 Bangladesh on the evening of September 3, the Vietnam U23 team will have two more matches, against Singapore on September 6 and Yemen on September 9.

Van Truong (8) did not play the entire match against U.23 Bangladesh

Photo: Minh Tu

The high competition density, 3 matches in 6 days, plus hot weather, will be factors that can greatly affect the physical strength of the players. Regarding this issue, coach Kim Sang-sik commented: "The hot weather has a great impact on the ability of the teams in Group C, not only the U.23 Vietnam team but also the opponents U.23 Singapore and Yemen. I think the level of the teams in this group is similar. Therefore, we will have to prepare carefully for the next matches."

That means the Korean coach himself also calculated the possibility that we would have to compete in terms of endurance with the opponents in the group. The team that ensures better physical strength until the final match on September 9 will have an advantage.

To prepare for the upcoming physical battle, it can be seen that coach Kim Sang-sik has calculated the rotation of the pillars of the U.23 Vietnam team. For example, the captain midfielder of the team at the U.23 Southeast Asia 2025 tournament, Khuat Van Khang, did not appear from the beginning in the match against U.23 Bangladesh. Then, the midfielder who played very well in the regional tournament more than a month ago, Nguyen Van Truong, also did not play the entire opening match of U.23 Vietnam.

Bangladesh press points out the reason why the home team lost to U.23 Vietnam

Rotation of the squad

Nguyen Van Truong and Khuat Van Khang each played almost only half the match, each of them had the task of keeping the rhythm for the midfield of the U.23 Vietnam team in the first half of the match: Nguyen Van Truong organized the play for U.23 Vietnam in the first half of the match, while Khuat Van Khang had this task in the second half of the match, so that there was always at least 1 of these 2 experienced and technical midfielders present on the field.

Quoc Viet (9) "shares the fire" with Dinh Bac on the attack line

Photo: Minh Tu

Not only that, Dinh Bac did not play the entire match. When Dinh Bac left the field, the player who replaced him, playing highest on the attack line, was striker Nguyen Quoc Viet. The positions of Van Truong and Dinh Bac are positions that require players to move a lot, which is very tiring. For that reason, coach Kim Sang-sik does not want to exhaust these players, when the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers have just begun.

Mr. Kim wants to save energy for his key players, for the next important stage of the tournament. In addition, also aiming for the long-term battle, the Korean coach has tested many different personnel options in the match with U.23 Bangladesh. The next notable change is that Le Viktor came on the field to replace Thanh Nhan, playing in the attack line. This not only helps Thanh Nhan save energy, aiming for the next stage, but also opens up a new direction of attack for U.23 Vietnam, when Le Viktor Le tends to penetrate the opponent's penalty area more than Thanh Nhan.

Long-term success is determined by the long run. U.23 Vietnam will compete and adjust at the same time to ensure the best physical strength and form until the end of the 2026 U.23 Asia qualifiers.

Watch live and complete Group C - 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-vuot-qua-moi-doi-thu-u23-viet-nam-can-them-yeu-to-dac-biet-nay-185250904020309962.htm