U.23 Vietnam has struggled before meeting a strong team: Coach Kim is still optimistic, is it mental therapy?

The 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship has so far witnessed many surprises, especially the disappointing performances of highly rated teams such as U.23 Thailand and U.23 Vietnam.

U.23 Vietnam has not faced any real challenges but has revealed its limitations.

Vietnam U23 won 2-1 against Cambodia U23 on the evening of July 22, ending the group stage with 6 full points, the only team to win all. However, despite the victory, Vietnam U23's playing style still leaves many doubts, especially when opponents like Laos U23 and Cambodia U23 have never been considered a big challenge.

The match with U.23 Cambodia showed a clear tactical difference, when the opponent actively played strong pressing instead of defending in large numbers like U.23 Laos, making it difficult for U.23 Vietnam to deploy their playing style.

U.23 Vietnam has struggled even before meeting a strong team. Is it capable of winning the championship?

The U.23 Vietnam midfield also showed weaknesses when lacking a leader, causing the attacks to become deadlocked. Players like Van Khang, Quoc Viet, and Van Truong often made hasty moves, missing opportunities. The team's finishing ability also needs to improve, when delicious opportunities were missed. In the past two matches, the U.23 Vietnam team only scored a total of 5 goals, of which one came from striker Dinh Bac, one from winger Khuat Van Khang, one from center back Ly Duc, and two from defender Hieu Minh. This is clearly a problem that needs to be solved if U.23 Vietnam wants to go further in this tournament.

U.23 Vietnam will have to improve finishing

PHOTO: Dong Nguyen Khang

However, the flexible substitutions paid off. Dinh Bac came on in the second half and scored the winning goal. It was these tactical adjustments that helped U.23 Vietnam make the difference and win.

U.23 Vietnam needs to improve in many areas

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

U.23 Cambodia (blue shirt) had a very commendable match.

PHOTO: Dong Nguyen Khang

Despite winning 2 matches and entering the semi-finals as group leaders, U.23 Vietnam still faces many challenges. After the match, coach Kim Sang-sik shared that, despite encountering some problems in the match with U.23 Cambodia, he still believes in his players. The semi-final opponent is U.23 Philippines, a team with a balance between attack and defense. Coach Kim Sang-sik hopes that the team will improve their ability to control the match and minimize mistakes in the upcoming matches to aim for the championship.

Coach Kim Sang-sik will have to make many changes to the squad for the semi-finals.

PHOTO: Dong Nguyen Khang

U.23 Thailand also played below their ability.

Meanwhile, in the final match of Group C, U.23 Thailand also had a hard-fought draw against U.23 Myanmar.

U.23 Thailand entered the tournament with high determination, considering this as a stepping stone for SEA Games 33. However, the match with U.23 Myanmar did not go as expected. Despite controlling the game in the first half, Thailand did not create many dangerous opportunities. Their finishing lacked precision, while Myanmar, despite needing a win to enter the semi-finals, had difficulty attacking.

U.23 Thailand struggled to hold U.23 Myanmar to a draw and will meet host Indonesia in the semi-finals.

At the end of the first half, Thailand pushed up their attacks but could not score, and in the second half, although they created chances, their shots were still inaccurate. In particular, U.23 Myanmar had a good chance in the 73rd minute but could not convert it into a goal.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Thailand topped Group B and advanced to the semi-finals to face U.23 Indonesia, the host team. This match is expected to be more difficult if Thailand does not improve their performance like in the match against Myanmar.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-chua-gap-doi-manh-da-chat-vat-hlv-kim-van-lac-quan-lieu-phap-tinh-than-chang-185250723111828322.htm