The most unstable position in the Vietnam team

Under coach Kim Sang Sik, the goalkeeper position is not stable in the Vietnam national team.

Van Lam is the first goalkeeper to start for the Vietnam national team under coach Kim Sang Sik - Photo: QUANG THINH

Unlike many strategists in the region and the world , Coach Kim Sang Sik uses many goalkeepers when leading the Vietnam team. In just over a year, the Korean strategist has given the opportunity to start for 3 people but none of them can keep their position for long.

He first used Dang Van Lam in mid-2024 in the last two matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round 2 against the Philippines and Iraq, and a friendly match against Russia in September of the same year.

Then it was Nguyen Filip's turn to keep goal in the two friendly matches against Thailand and India. At the ASEAN Cup held at the end of last year, Nguyen Dinh Trieu was the one trusted to be the main goalkeeper.

In 2025, the goalkeeper position in the Vietnam national team will continue to change, only the order will be reversed. Dinh Trieu will play against Laos in March, Nguyen Filip will play against Malaysia in June, and now Van Lam will play against Nepal on October 9 in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Filip is not in good form at the club so he is absent from the Vietnam national team during FIFA Days in October - Photo: NGOC LE

Fluctuating performance

The constant change of goalkeepers shows that coach Kim Sang Sik is not really satisfied with the goalkeepers in the Vietnam team. This is in contrast to other positions in the tactical diagram, where Mr. Kim always maintains stability.

The fluctuating form of the goalkeepers is the reason for this. All three current goalkeepers of the Vietnam national team have their own abilities and strengths, but lack stability over a long period of time and all of them are prone to making mistakes when playing.

Before losing his place in the national team, Lam made a serious mistake when he missed the ball, leading to a goal in a friendly match with Russia in September 2024. After that, being relegated to the First Division to play for Ninh Binh made it difficult for him to score points with coach Kim Sang Sik.

The opportunity was now given to Nguyen Filip. However, when entering the ASEAN Cup 2024, Filip revealed many limitations in communication with teammates, so Dinh Trieu was the chosen solution. But Trieu himself also revealed limitations and made mistakes that led to a loss against Laos earlier this year in the Asian Cup qualifiers.

When Van Lam and Ninh Binh were promoted to V-League, he showed great form and thanks to that, he was called back to the national team by coach Kim, and was given the starting position in the match against Nepal on October 9.

But when playing against an opponent with almost no attacking ability like that, Van Lam had very little chance to show off. Defensive mistakes caused the Vietnamese team to concede goals.

In the only goal conceded, which was also Nepal's rare scoring opportunity, Van Lam was not without responsibility, as he did not proactively rush out and react.

Not to mention Lam also had a situation where he advanced and then passed the ball wrongly, leading to a dangerous counter-attack by Nepal. If the opponent was not Nepal but Thailand or Indonesia, things might have been different.

Dinh Trieu also made mistakes in the Vietnam team - Photo: NGOC LE

Coach Kim persistently seeks solutions

For over a year, Coach Kim Sang Sik has been constantly searching for a suitable goalkeeper. He has called up new faces alongside the old staff, both to refresh the team, find suitable potential factors, and increase healthy competition in the goal. His message is clear: Whoever has the ability, form and suitability will be given the starting position.

In the context of Van Lam's poor performance, the opportunity could completely go to the younger goalkeepers Nguyen Van Viet and Tran Trung Kien.

Van Viet is in great form as a goalkeeper for the V-League championship candidate The Cong - Viettel . Meanwhile, Trung Kien is in his fourth V-League season and is the number one hope of U23 Vietnam before SEA Games 33 and U23 Asia 2026.

"With his performance in the match against Nepal, Van Lam's ability to compete in the national team in the future is very difficult. Goalkeepers at the same time as Trung Kien or Van Viet showed more stability," commentator Ngo Quang Tung told Tuoi Tre Online .

Vietnam will play Nepal again on October 14, where coach Kim Sang Sik will likely make another change in the goalkeeper position.

Back to topic

NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vi-tri-thieu-on-dinh-nhat-tuyen-viet-nam-20251013110047343.htm