Mr. Kim 'hunts' for a leader for the Vietnamese team

The Vietnamese team needs a real leader to boost morale for the rebuilding phase.

CAPTAIN'S INSTABILITY

The successful periods of the Vietnamese national team are always associated with reliable, experienced and influential captains in the squad. When coach Park Hang-seo was in charge, the captain was central defender Que Ngoc Hai. The prestige of a steel central defender and leadership ability helped Ngoc Hai become a real elder brother, protecting and guiding the players.

Receiving the captain's armband from Ngoc Hai, midfielder Hung Dung also affirmed his role, but in a different way: standard living and training, flexible communication skills to advise teammates and convey the coach's instructions, as well as persistent and passionate playing style, to become an example to inspire the fighting spirit of the whole team.

Duy Manh needs to regain his form to be worthy of his leading role.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

However, when coach Philippe Troussier took over the Vietnam team, the captaincy began to be rotated among many players. From Hung Dung, Viet Anh to Quang Hai, Ngoc Hai, Mr. Troussier changed up to... 6 captains in just the first 11 matches in charge. It was the uncertainty of the leadership position that caused the Vietnam team to be in turmoil and instability right at the time of rejuvenating the squad. Failure was inevitable, with 7 consecutive losses causing coach Troussier to leave.

Coach Kim Sang-sik applied the lessons (both successes and failures) of his predecessor when rebuilding the team. Initially, he chose Hung Dung (captain under Coach Park) as captain, and Viet Anh (captain under Coach Troussier) as vice-captain. However, at the AFF Cup, Hung Dung and Ngoc Hai were no longer called up, and Viet Anh lost his starting position.

The old captains of the Vietnamese team gradually "disappeared" to make way for a new leader: center-back Duy Manh. The player born in 1996 is the longest-serving captain so far under coach Kim Sang-sik, wearing the captain's armband from the AFF Cup 2024 to the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.

WHICH OFFICER IS FOR THE TEAM?

However, Duy Manh's form at Hanoi FC is declining. The 29-year-old central defender has actually "regressed" since his injury in the National Super Cup match in early 2020 (which caused him to miss a year of playing). Considered a professional player and working hard to maintain his fitness and class, Duy Manh may find it difficult to overcome the obstacle of time.

Duy Manh’s aggressive, aggressive and aggressive style of play is gradually fading away, as the Hanoi player’s speed and strength have declined. From the AFF Cup to the Asian Cup qualifiers, Duy Manh has made a number of mistakes. If in the Southeast Asian arena, Xuan Son’s impressive performance (7 goals) has obscured the problem of the defense, then when he was absent due to injury, the defensive weakness of the Vietnamese team has been exposed.

Recently, Mr. Kim and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) proposed naturalization for central defender Gustavo Sant Ana ( Da Nang Club). Next year, Gustavo and Adou Minh may join the Vietnam national team after obtaining citizenship. The position of players approaching 30 years old like Duy Manh and Tien Dung is difficult to guarantee.

Besides the ability to "inspire" and have prestige in the team, the captain of the Vietnam team also needs to have high performance, the ability to play persistently and stably like Hung Dung and Ngoc Hai did. The difficulty for coach Kim Sang-sik is that the Vietnam team currently has very few players like that.

Key players like Hoang Duc, Hai Long... have never worn the captain's armband for the national team or club to test their leadership qualities; Minh Khoa, Ngoc Quang have no experience wearing the national team jersey; Quang Hai was once given important responsibilities, but the silence of the midfielder born in 1997 has become an obstacle. A familiar face in the executive committee, Tien Linh, was not given a starting position by coach Kim Sang-sik.

A captain with standard form, class and leadership qualities like Hung Dung before is still the model Mr. Kim is looking for, but in terms of force with many shortcomings of the Vietnamese team at the moment, the Korean strategist can only choose the best option within his ability, it is difficult to say it is superior.

Coach Kim’s captains and vice-captains need to quickly regain their form to be worthy of leading the next generation. The stature of the “big brothers” needs to be shown more clearly, so that the Vietnamese team can become a united and hard-to-beat collective.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-kim-san-thu-linh-cho-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185250923210845702.htm