Complaints highlight coach Kim Sang-sik's talent

TPO - Once again, U23 Vietnam won, and once again, coach Kim Sang-sik showed his talent, always knowing how to get the necessary results, despite some complaints about the playing style.

Many demanding fans were not satisfied with the performances of U23 Vietnam in the U23 Asian Qualifiers. They thought that coach Kim Sang-sik's students should have had a more convincing victory against U23 Bangladesh and U23 Singapore, teams with much weaker strength. The audience also expected smooth ball movements, intense attacks and eye-catching coordination. In short, it was "not happy".

However, let's recall the first day Coach Kim Sang-sik took over the Vietnamese teams. When asked about his coaching philosophy, the Korean strategist emphasized that what he always pursued was nothing other than "winning philosophy". He also likes beautiful football and is enthusiastic about attacking, but at the same time, he also emphasizes solidity in defense and pays special attention to results.

To be honest, in football, everything is meaningless if good results are not produced. Before coach Kim Sang-sik, his predecessor Philippe Troussier tried to pursue an attacking style of football based on possession without regard for results. At some point, patience ran out. The French coach had to leave, leaving behind an unfinished project.

U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Singapore with a minimal score. (Photo: Ngoc Tu)

Coach Kim Sang-sik is not a tactician, nor does he have any lofty philosophies. He simply creates victory, one way or another. Sometimes fans feel unsatisfied, even frustrated with unconvincing and somewhat boring performances.

But then, everything vanished into thin air when the Vietnam national team won the 2024 ASEAN Cup and the Vietnam U23 team was crowned the 2024 U23 Southeast Asian Championship. In most cases, the end always justifies the means.

It can be said that, with a winning philosophy, Coach Kim Sang-sik is a master of building an overall strategy for a tournament. He never sticks to a fixed lineup, but constantly rotates. This both avoids the risk of the team falling into a state of fatigue (especially in the current hot weather), and brings freshness and motivation to the players. Of course, it also causes confusion for opponents, because it is unpredictable.

In many matches, coach Kim Sang-sik always finds a way to defeat his opponents. (Photo: Anh Duc)

Because the lineup changes frequently, the lack of smoothness is completely understandable. Moreover, finding data on Southeast Asian or average Asian opponents, especially the U23 team, is not easy. Coach Kim Sang-sik himself admitted that his colleagues have very few quality videos to analyze. Therefore, building the perfect plan A for each match is difficult.

However, coach Kim Sang-sik makes up for this with his ability to quickly adapt to the actual developments on the field, then set up a plan B with appropriate adjustments. In many matches where the Korean strategist stood on the pitch, it always felt like he used the first half to study the opponent and discover the loopholes, then use the appropriate cards to exploit and finish off the opponent.

As in the victory against U23 Singapore, the personnel adjustments in the second half, including Phi Hoang, Van Thuan, Thanh Nhan, Ngoc My, all worked effectively. U23 Vietnam pressed more strongly, had a faster transition ability, and then created great and continuous pressure in the opponent's 1/3 area.

Coach Kim Sang-sik showed his ability to improvise and detect and exploit his opponent's mistakes. (Photo: Nhu Y)

In the end, U23 Singapore lost their concentration and collapsed under the pressure. Phi Hoang's precise cross and Van Thuan's high jump and headshake brought the only goal, enough to secure 3 points for coach Kim Sang-sik's team.

It should also be added that Van Thuan has become the 9th player to score for the young Golden Star Warriors in the last 6 matches. This incredible diversity is the positive side of the rotation policy, giving everyone a chance to shine and play the role of hero.

Perhaps in the final match against U23 Yemen, we will welcome a new hero, joining the long list of players who scored, and brought victory to U23 Vietnam. Then, with a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, no one will complain about the performances. Once again, the results will help justify the means.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhung-loi-phan-nan-lam-noi-bat-cai-tai-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-post1776198.tpo