Coach Kim needs to 'renew' the Vietnamese team with the U.23 generation

In the bleak picture of the Vietnamese team against Nepal in both matches (2027 Asian Cup qualifiers), the performance of the U.23 team still lit up hope.

TEACHER K IM'S BELIEF

When Thanh Nien asked coach Kim Sang-sik why no U.23 players started in the first leg against Nepal (October 9), he affirmed: "Some young players are capable of starting, but the nature of the first leg requires the Vietnamese team to choose a safe solution."

Van Khang (right) is a familiar U.23 player in the Vietnam national team.

Photo: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Five days later, in the rematch, Mr. Kim gave the starting positions to Trung Kien, Hieu Minh and Thanh Nhan, then it was Dinh Bac and Van Khang's turn to come on from the bench.

The message from the Korean strategist was clear: the U.23 players were capable of competing fairly with their seniors. However, the context of the first leg, when the Vietnamese team did not yet understand their opponents, forced Mr. Kim to choose a safe solution. But when he had a clear understanding of Nepal's strength and had 3 points as a springboard, Coach Kim Sang-sik boldly tested the young players.

On the waterlogged Thong Nhat Stadium, although the Vietnamese team had a disappointing match, the U.23 players played their roles well. Goalkeeper Trung Kien punched the ball away 4 times, without making any mistakes in any of the moves. Center back Hieu Minh intercepted and competed well, with an important narrow-angle header that forced the opponent to score an own goal. Dinh Bac and Thanh Nhan did not score, but they also helped the attack line gain more energy and creativity with their unconstrained moves.

"I want to give compliments to the U.23 players. They played well," coach Kim Sang-sik noted briefly, but that was a spiritual reward for the young players' persistent efforts. After only 3 months, Trung Kien and Hieu Minh have risen very quickly, from having to fight for a position in the U.23 Vietnam team to opening the door to the national team.

Starting at Thong Nhat Stadium against an opponent 62 places lower than Nepal, although modest, everyone has to start from somewhere. For example, 8 years ago, Quang Hai's journey in the Vietnam national team started with a header against Cambodia in the Asian Cup qualifiers (2019). The first step is often difficult, but with it, the young generation will have a springboard to go far in the national team.

HIT TWO TARGET WITH ARROW

"The experience of training and competing with the Vietnamese team will help the U.23 team become more mature and knowledgeable in preparation for youth tournaments such as the SEA Games and the U.23 Asia," Tien Linh said.

That was also Mr. Kim's first target. Trung Kien, Hieu Minh, Thanh Nhan, Dinh Bac... needed to learn the living, training, and competing styles of their seniors, needed to be pushed into battle, endure pressure to draw their own lessons.

The golden generation of Vietnamese football in the 2018 - 2022 period also matured thanks to the skillful "pillowing" policy of the old generation and the new generation of coach Park Hang-seo.

Although Mr. Kim is more reserved and cautious, he has opened his heart to new factors to evaluate directly. Returning to U.23 Vietnam, the stars who have played for the national team will have more experience to break through in the youth tournament, where not many players have had the opportunity to "eat the national team's rice".

However, the most important thing for the U.23 team is to create a large enough competitive force for coach Kim Sang-sik to have more options. In the rematch against Nepal, if Tien Dung had not been injured, Hieu Minh would not have been sure to start, and then had a beautiful header indirectly bringing home a goal.

Although they were selected later, the younger generation is capable of fighting for a starting spot, forcing the older generation to work hard to secure their place. Clearly, the young players have the potential to bring a new momentum to the team: good physique, modern playing style, ambition, confidence and personality forged through a lot of pressure.

The Vietnamese team can pursue naturalization to become faster and stronger, but choosing to trust young people will create a sustainable and inherited development chain.

"When the AFF Cup 2026, Asian Cup 2027 (if they win tickets) and the World Cup 2030 qualifiers will take place in the next 2 years, the Vietnamese team needs to plan the youth generation in the center position, determine long-term investment, and even boldly use them in difficult matches. Only then will we have a successor generation with enough courage to replace the current generation," expert Doan Minh Xuong affirmed.

Do Hoang Hen ( Hanoi Club) officially received Vietnamese nationality yesterday, October 16. If he plays well, this 31-year-old midfielder can be called up to the Vietnamese national team by coach Kim Sang-sik.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-can-thay-mau-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-bang-lua-u23-185251016220447833.htm