Vietnam U.23 Team: Coach Kim Sang-sik dares to make mistakes and knows how to correct them

The hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Singapore U.23 team not only helped the Vietnam U.23 team get closer to the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship finals but also brought many lessons to coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.

What did coach Kim Sang-sik test?

Compared to the starting lineup against Bangladesh U.23 team, coach Kim Sang-sik made 6 personnel adjustments. Among them, the changes greatly affected the way the game was played, namely Khuat Van Khang and Pham Minh Phuc replaced Nguyen Phi Hoang, Vo Anh Quan played as wing-back. The 3 strikers from left to right were Le Viktor, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Cong Phuong. Previously, the "trident" chosen were Nguyen Ngoc My, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Thanh Nhan.

Van Khang (number 11) has not played very well with the player on the same wing, Le Viktor (number 14). The combination of Phi Hoang - Van Khang on the left wing like at the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asia tournament is much more effective.

PHOTO: MINH TU

Firstly, using Van Khang as a left-back is relatively wasteful. During the journey to win the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian Championship, he often played as a winger or a midfielder, contributing a lot to the play of U.23 Vietnam. But when he had to take on additional defensive duties, the influence of the Viettel The Cong Club player was limited and in the end, he was substituted early.

On the opposite wing, the quality of attack that Minh Phuc created is difficult to compare with Anh Quan. This is partly due to the fact that coach Kim Sang-sik placed Cong Phuong on the wing. Cong Phuong is a versatile player, able to play as a central midfielder or striker, but has never been highly appreciated when operating on the wing when he is not strong in acceleration and breakthrough. When he has the ball, he mainly looks inside to continue coordinating in the center, rarely creating dangerous overlapping situations with Minh Phuc. It is clear that most of the delicious opportunities that the U.23 Vietnam team created came from the left wing. Specifically, Le Van Thuan's only goal came from Phi Hoang's accurate cross.

Van Thuan scored a precious goal, U.23 Vietnam struggled to beat Singapore

If using 3 strikers across the field, Cong Phuong is not the best choice. The young talent born in 2006 will be very dangerous when playing as an attacking midfielder thanks to his ability to handle the ball in a narrow area and sharp tactical vision, which he showed in the semi-finals and finals of the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asia tournament. But when needing a winger, coach Kim Sang-sik should probably use Thanh Nhan, Van Thuan or Quoc Viet.

Coach Kim Sang-sik reads the game well and makes effective substitution decisions.

PHOTO: MINH TU

Coach Kim Sang-sik once again shows his talent

Phi Hoang's cross was beautiful, Van Thuan's header was tricky, but we must also give praise to coach Kim Sang-sik. The Korean strategist had timely and effective adjustments. Both Phi Hoang and Van Thuan were substitute players and left their mark. In addition, the introduction of Thanh Nhan and Ngoc My was also very accurate.

After these players entered the field, the U.23 Vietnam team attacked more directly and strongly, creating more pressure on the U.23 Singapore team's goal. Maintaining constant pressure was also a factor that made the opponent's defense lose strength, lack concentration and decisiveness in decisive situations. If the U.23 Singapore goalkeeper had not played so well and the U.23 Vietnam team had been a little luckier, we could have won by a bigger margin.

Tactically, striker Ngoc My came on to replace midfielder Nhat Minh, the U.23 Vietnam team switched from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3 formation to attack more strongly. In the final minutes, when they had scored, coach Kim Sang-sik replaced midfielder Van Truong with midfielder Duc Anh to preserve the result. That was the flexible response of the captain of U.23 Vietnam.

From the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship to the 2026 Asian U23 Qualifiers, Coach Kim Sang-sik has experimented a lot to find a winning formula for the Vietnam U23 team. Although there are still many things that need to be adjusted and improved, the Vietnam U23 team is creating greater trust for fans. If we maintain the momentum, we can dream of the Vietnam U23 team winning the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games, taking place in Thailand later this year.

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

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-u23-viet-nam-hlv-kim-sang-sik-dam-sai-va-biet-cach-sua-185250907145436832.htm