Hai Long: An interesting piece of the puzzle amidst the ‘chaotic’ offense of the Vietnamese team

Hai Long – unexpected puzzle piece

When taking over the Vietnamese team 6 months ago, coach Kim Sang-sik prioritized refreshing the playing style, in which the midfield was where the Korean strategist experimented the most. Many midfielders have been called up for testing, with Nguyen Hai Long being a special case.

The player born in 2000 was one of the players who was trusted during the September training camp, then was not called up, and then got a ticket to the 2024 AFF Cup after the Korean training trip. Hai Long is always on the line of debate, between being trusted or not trusted in coach Kim Sang-sik’s mindset of using people.

The clearest evidence was in the match against Laos. Right before swinging his foot to score against Laos at the beginning of the second half to help the Vietnamese team score the first goal at the 2024 AFF Cup, Hai Long was actually prepared to be taken off the field by Mr. Kim. The substitution table has been prepared. As long as the ball situation ends, the midfielder of Hanoi Club will rest.

However, as fate would have it, Bui Tien Dung’s long pass brought Hai Long a gift in their last seconds on the field. The 24-year-old player accelerated and finished extremely dangerously to defeat the Lao goalkeeper. Although coach Kim Sang-sik’s decision to substitute was irreversible, Hai Long was able to make a mark in the “injury time” of his own playing time in this match.

That was also the moment that defined Hai Long’s ability: not the best or most comprehensive player, but always fighting persistently to the end. Korean coaches who value fighting spirit like Mr. Kim Sang-sik always prioritize this quality.

The year 2024 has witnessed Hai Long’s spectacular advancement. After appearing in all 26 matches (14 starting matches) for Hanoi Club in the V-League 2023 – 2024, Hai Long became an important piece of the puzzle this season when he appeared in the main squad in 7 of the team’s 9 matches. capital at the national championship. He holds a creative role in attack, playing as an all-round number 10. Hai Long can retreat to pull the ball, move aggressively to coordinate, and then push high like a striker to bring more solutions to the strikers.

Hai Long’s energy source became the highlight of the Hanoi team in the “twilight” period between the two generations. This season, Hai Long has scored 3 goals, all important goals, bringing direct scores to Hanoi Club in matches against Binh Duong (1-0) or Thanh Hoa (1-1). When the seniors with Van Quyet and Hung Dung were old, and the younger generation had not yet matured, Hai Long stepped into the light.

Don’t give up

On the Vietnamese team, Hai Long also took advantage of the somewhat chaotic race in the midfield to rise.

After 6 months of training, Mr. Kim Sang-sik has not been able to create a specific playing philosophy, but offensive colors have appeared. The Vietnamese team ran stronger and fought harder to steal the ball. Midfielders not only play the role of developing the ball, but also have to exploit second-ball situations well, diligently finding space to penetrate the penalty area and finish.

Many skills are needed in an attacking midfielder in the 3-4-2-1 formation that Mr. Kim built, and that style of play is suitable for a versatile player who runs “hot” like Hai Long.

Hai Long dared to shoot from afar, dared to hold the ball and break through to open up space, and constantly pressed and chased when the home team defended from afar. Not excelling in any specific skill, but the 24-year-old midfielder has important tenacity and diligence to lubricate the attack.

When Quang Hai was given priority to hold the creative key, Hai Long and Ngoc Tan became the running machines to make the football run smoothly. Coach Kim Sang-sik’s puzzle pieces may not be perfect. But put as a whole, the Vietnamese team has enough elements to be able to play in many different ways.

Hai Long needs more time to become an important card. However, for a player who has overcome many challenges to get to his current position, waiting has never been a problem.