Worry about Dang Van Lam

Throughout the victory over Nepal, Van Lam only faced the opponent's finishing situations twice but had to concede a goal.

After a year of absence from the national team for many reasons, the goalkeeper of Vietnamese-Russian blood was given the opportunity to play by coach Kim Sang-sik thanks to his impressive performance in the Ninh Binh Club shirt, the champion of the 2024-2025 National First Division, with the record of the longest unbeaten streak.

Compared to his colleagues on the national team, Van Lam has more experience in international competition but is limited in his ball handling skills with his feet. Throughout the victory over Nepal, Van Lam only faced the opponent's finishing situation twice but had to concede a goal.

Dang Van Lam has not yet reached his peak performance in his return to the national team. Photo: QUOC AN

Due to this situation, Van Lam was judged to be indecisive in his blocking move. The 1.88 m tall goalkeeper also failed to play a commanding role, lacking connection with the central defenders in high balls. According to the statistics site Sofascore, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam was the player with the lowest score in the Vietnamese team's squad in the 3-1 win over Nepal, with only 6.4 points.

However, many people sympathize with Van Lam, saying that close-range headers or one-touch shots are very dangerous, surprising and causing many difficulties for goalkeepers. At the peak of their career, legendary goalkeepers of world football such as: Buffon, Casillas, Peter Schmeichel, Van der Sar, Neuer or Cech... have many times conceded goals from similar shots.

Professional analysis shows that the goal against Nepal came from the central defender duo Duy Manh - Tien Dung. Both showed slowness in reading the situation and lacked determination to prevent the opponent from occupying the space, creating conditions for the header to score. However, Van Lam has not yet reached his peak form in his return to the national team. In addition to the goal conceded in the first half, the goalkeeper of Ninh Binh FC also made the home audience "stop their breath" many times when handling the ball with his feet inaccurately. In his international career, Van Lam has also made similar mistakes many times, causing the Vietnamese team to receive unfortunate goals.

Therefore, although the home team won against Nepal, the possibility of Van Lam continuing to be used in the next matches of the Vietnam team is not high. If he does not improve his footwork and reasonable entry and exit techniques, Dang Van Lam will lose the position of "goalkeeper" number 1 of the Vietnam team to his juniors Trung Kien and Van Viet.

Coach Pham Minh Duc commented: "The goalkeeper plays a key role, creating confidence and safety for the defense, helping the front line confidently carry out attacks. Van Lam has good reflexes to save shots but is still limited in playing the ball with his feet. If the opponent presses high, putting pressure right in the home field, Van Lam may have difficulty in deploying the ball."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lo-cho-dang-van-lam-196251011204256599.htm