Vietnam team sows seeds of change: Stronger and more different

1 week of training and 2 internal friendly matches are the first steps on the journey to purify the Vietnamese team's force.

Vietnam team must lose to 'grow up'

The Vietnamese team concluded two internal friendly matches in the September training session, with the results as expected: losing 0-4 to the all-Western team of Nam Dinh Club, then winning 4-3 against the all-domestic team of Hanoi Police Club (CAHN Club).

Putting aside the internal nature, when friendly matches have no spectators and do not count for FIFA points, it is clear that the Vietnamese team is experiencing a necessary silence, in the first "closed-door" training session of the year.

The Vietnamese team (right) barely won against the all-domestic squad of CAHN Club - PHOTO: VFF

Coach Kim Sang-sik's students have experienced the joy of winning the AFF Cup 2024, but the defeat against Malaysia (leading to a high possibility of losing a ticket to the Asian Cup 2027) is a sad note. 7 years ago, the Vietnamese team reached out to Asia right after winning the Southeast Asian championship, because in the hands of coach Park Hang-seo was a generation of U.23 players who still had ambition, physical strength and a desire to contribute. And now, coach Kim Sang-sik still has that generation of players, but they are almost 30 years old.

The "locomotive" that led the Vietnamese team to the 2024 AFF Cup championship is a naturalized foreign player, who is not a product of Vietnamese football. Above all, coach Kim Sang-sik understands that success at the AFF Cup is just a castle in the sand.

Vietnamese football needs a solid foundation, which is the quality of youth training to produce talented domestic players. Therefore, Mr. Kim has both trained the U.23 Vietnam team to create a new generation of successors and paved the way for new recruits to join the national team.

Every player, even "unknown" like Tran Hoang Phuc, Phan Du Hoc, Dinh Quang Kiet or Pham Gia Hung, carries within them a seed of newness.

It is not certain that these players will "germinate" to become pillars of the national team, but only by sowing seeds can there be hope. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team has accepted to sow seeds, because only by daring to make mistakes and change, will the Vietnamese team have the energy to make a leap forward. A spring only springs out when compressed, just like the national team has to step back to prepare for the momentum.

Vietnam team (blue shirt) lost to Nam Dinh Club - PHOTO: MINH TU

That step back, though silent and... painful, like the way Hoang Phuc and Quang Kiet were "tortured" by Nam Dinh's foreign players, like the 7 goals conceded after 2 matches even though the opponent had not yet used all their strength, was necessary for the Vietnamese team to understand where they stood.

That "understanding" is very important. The glory has passed with the generation of pillars who made history in Changzhou years ago. The Vietnam team needs new blood. That blood is being nurtured gradually in the U.23 tournaments, and at the same time, will be discovered through the personnel reforms and playing style building that the national team is carrying out.

Reforming philosophy

The Vietnamese team won the AFF Cup 2024 thanks to the skillful use of troops and tactical rotation of coach Kim Sang-sik.

This is also the key to conquering short tournaments (8 matches in 1 month) like the AFF Cup. No need for a special playing style, just reasonable and flexible tactics to win.

However, in the long run, the Vietnamese team still needs a specific playing style. Going deep thanks to defensive counter-attacks is a thing of the past. When opponents naturalize players of European and American origin with superior physical strength and power, the Vietnamese team cannot just play like they are struggling to endure. Because when the physical condition is completely defeated, only knowing how to defend is the shortest path to collapse.

The Vietnamese team needs a more proactive playing style: pressing high to win the ball, organizing quick attacks, deploying the ball from home to escape pressure, instead of playing long balls and high balls when there is no striker taller than 1.84 m.

Will the seeds of change come from the U.23 generation? - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

It is a style of play that takes time to develop, but the national team only has 6 short training sessions each year. The challenge for Mr. Kim is huge, especially when he is still "carrying" the U.23 Vietnam team.

However, changing the playing style is still the right path, and must be taken, if we do not want the Vietnamese team's ability to be limited within the "golden ring" of Southeast Asia.

The team’s image overhaul begins today, right from the heavy losses, so that the team can truly have the motivation to change. Change does not necessarily mean success. But standing still is no different than surrendering.

After the darkness comes the dawn. Hopefully, with Coach Kim's brave reform, the Vietnamese team will advance to a new level.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-gioi-hat-mam-doi-thay-manh-me-va-khac-biet-hon-nua-185250908174306585.htm