Question marks for coach Kim Sang-sik after an unsatisfactory victory against Nepal

Vietnam team won 3 points but the victory against Nepal was not smooth.

If we only look at the score of the match, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have had good results before entering the second leg on October 14 at Thong Nhat Stadium. However, looking into the details, there are quite a few problems exposed in the playing style of the Vietnamese team.

First of all, the defense line has been the mainstay of the Vietnamese team for many years against big opponents in the region and continent. Coach Kim Sang-sik had to recall Dang Van Lam partly because Nguyen Filip and Dinh Trieu both did not have stable performance.

Above, the central defenders played uncertainly, leading to the defense often showing gaps. When Nepal equalized 1-1, the Vietnamese defense could not keep up with the opponent, allowing Sanish to jump high and head the ball. This is not surprising when veteran central defenders such as Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, and Bui Tien Dung are no longer at their peak. Vietnam seems to have not found worthy names to prepare for the next stage.

Nepal made the Vietnamese team startled at times before being forced to play with one less player.

Another problem that puts more pressure on the defense is that in the midfield, the Vietnamese team lacks a strong and versatile defensive midfielder like Do Hung Dung before. The ability to support the back line from afar has therefore somewhat decreased. Nguyen Hoang Duc is still skillful, but he tends to attack. The lack of strength in the midfield is also the reason why when facing a tough opponent like Malaysia, the Vietnamese team's playing system falls apart.

Round shoulders but hard to reach?

The three goals against Nepal were shared equally between Tien Linh, Xuan Manh and Van Vi. This shows that the Vietnamese team still knows how to score from many different angles. However, it is necessary to admit the fact that Nepal is the "underdog", and when entering the second half, the opponent team played with one less player due to Laken's red card at the end of the first half. Thanks to that, the Vietnamese team was able to play more comfortably.

Lacking diverse and unpredictable attacks, the ability to organize attacks is still the inherent weakness of the Vietnamese team under coach Kim Sang-sik. Commentator Quang Tung has a quite accurate comment, that is, the Vietnamese team always has problems with the way they play, but achieves reasonable results.

Hoang Duc needs a good partner to better manage the midfield area.

This problem is getting worse as the Vietnamese team lacks attacking midfielders capable of creating breakthroughs like Nguyen Quang Hai. In addition, the wing flank no longer has energetic players like Nguyen Trong Hoang or Doan Van Hau before.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's team can "fulfill" the regional goals but raises questions about the opportunity to reach new heights.