The 'tiny' midfield of the Vietnam national team: Small but... powerful?

The Vietnam team will participate in the AFF Cup 2024 with a small midfield of very modest height.

What is special about the Vietnam team lineup at AFF Cup 2024?

Vietnam national team midfielder 'short and light'

In the list of 26 players of the Vietnamese team participating in the AFF Cup 2024, coach Kim Sang-sik called up 7 midfielders. It is worth noting that except for Nguyen Hoang Duc (1.83 m), the remaining midfielders are all 1.7 m tall or less.

Specifically, Nguyen Quang Hai is 1.66 m tall; Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Hai Long are both 1.68 m tall; Chau Ngoc Quang is 1.7 m tall; Doan Ngoc Tan is 1.69 m tall. Le Pham Thanh Long is only 1.65 m tall, the shortest player in the Vietnamese team.

The average height of Vietnamese midfielders is only 1.69 m. This is a defense line with an unimpressive height when placed next to the goalkeeper or defense line.

Quang Hai has a modest height

PHOTO: VFF

In fact, the height of Vietnam's midfield could have been better if coach Kim Sang-sik had kept Nguyen Van Truong (1.82 m) and Nguyen Thai Son (1.71 m). However, both young players left the team due to lack of experience and not meeting the playing style requirements during the training trip in Korea (Thai Son was not used).

The current force of the Vietnamese team is the result of 4 training sessions, screening and testing by Mr. Kim. The Korean coach has used all the elite of Vietnamese football. It must be affirmed that these "short and light" faces are the best midfielders that the Vietnamese team has.

Question mark

In football, height differences can make a big difference. When naturalizing players to strengthen their squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia focused on tall midfielders.

Thom Haye, Ivar Jenner and Justin Hubner all have impressive heights (1.87m), which gives them an advantage in one-on-one duels. Although the midfield has less aerial duels than the defense or attack, they still need to be physically fit.

Because in pressing, blocking or turning the ball, if the Vietnamese team's midfield does not have a strong enough body, it is very difficult for the Vietnamese team's midfielders to make a difference. Modern football is a story of muscles and strength, not purely using technique and dexterity to counter the disadvantage of physical size anymore.

The Vietnamese team has an average height of only 1.76 m.

PHOTO: VFF

However, the disadvantage of height is something that cannot be compensated for at this time, the Vietnam team needs to choose a playing style that suits the current players. To compete less with the opponent, you must move more wisely, coordinate faster, control the ball skillfully and escape faster.

Short players also have their own advantages. That is the ability to maintain the ball and transfer the body's center of gravity better than "strong" players. Chanathip Songkrasin is an example. At 1.58 m tall, "Messi J" has troubled many taller players in the J-League.

However, no one in Vietnamese football is at Chanathip’s level. Realizing that he does not have a good height, Chanathip has focused on training his legs to be steady, his body to be flexible, and his superior tactical thinking: always knowing where to stand and what to do to limit collisions. He also trains to be thicker and more muscular to maintain good balance.

That is the path that Vietnamese midfielders should take. Being small in stature means having to... be good at martial arts, if they don't want to lose out in the increasingly fierce competition of strength in the AFF Cup.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hang-tien-ve-be-hat-tieu-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-nho-nhung-co-vo-185241208120705683.htm