Who replaces Van Toan on the Vietnamese team: Don’t forget this face

Van Toan space

Before getting injured in the second half of the Vietnam team’s match against Myanmar in the final round of Group B AFF Cup, Van Toan played very well.

In the competition at Viet Tri Stadium on the evening of December 21, the 28-year-old striker was active as an attacking midfielder. He stirred up the opponent’s right corridor, moving flexibly and using speed to repeatedly surpass the Myanmar defender. If Van Vi had cushioned the ball from close range more carefully in the middle of the first half, Van Toan would have had his first assist in the tournament, after a situation where he almost did everything for his teammates with a dribble and then a cross to clear the ball.

Or in the second half, Van Toan scored extremely sharp after Nguyen Xuan Son’s heel strike, opening up Vi Hao’s subsequent goal.

Therefore, Van Toan’s injury caused coach Kim Sang-sik to lose an attack plan that combines all three elements: class, experience and understanding with Xuan Son, the most valuable player in the current attack. in. However, coach Kim Sang-sik’s way of using people from the beginning of the tournament sent the message: no player is irreplaceable. With experimental plans in the group stage, the Korean coach still has many solutions to take his student’s place.

First, define Van Toan’s position in Mr. Kim’s 3-4-2-1 diagram as a right attacking midfielder. In fact, in the first stage of AFF Cup 2024, Van Toan does not have a starting position. This position is assigned to Quang Hai, while Hai Long plays the left attacking midfielder. In the match against Myanmar, Quang Hai was pulled to the midfield to “deal the cards” with Hoang Duc, while the remaining attacking midfielder’s space was left to Van Toan. This is a move that helps the Vietnamese team increase their attack power, when both Quang Hai and Van Toan have the ability to create good mutations.

Without Van Toan, it is likely that Quang Hai will return to the role of attacking midfielder to replace his teammate. The gap left by Quang Hai in the midfield will be filled by Ngoc Tan. The midfielder, born in 1994, started the first 3 matches of the group stage, before retiring from the Myanmar match due to injury. Ngoc Tan does not attack as well as Quang Hai or Van Toan, but brings balance to the midfield thanks to his ability to sweep and work hard.

In the first leg against Singapore, which requires calculation, the Vietnamese team will need a solid stance. Therefore, the midfield with Ngoc Tan and Hoang Duc is still the optimal choice. As for the attack, Quang Hai and Vi Hao (or Hai Long) are reliable attacking midfielders.

Change the diagram

Another solution for coach Kim Sang-sik is to change the formation from 3-4-2-1 (2 attacking midfielders, 1 striker) to 3-5-2 (2 strikers).

The advantage of this option is that Mr. Kim can arrange up to 3 central midfielders to reinforce the midfield, creating a safe position with Singapore. At the same time, the Vietnamese team has two good strikers, Xuan Son and Tien Linh, to build a two-striker front.

Even though they only played together in the second half, Xuan Son and Tien Linh coordinated very well. Tien Linh was the one who opened the ball smoothly for Xuan Son to score a solo goal to raise the score to 4-0, then it was Xuan Son’s turn to return the favor with a pass for his teammates to set their hearts on, sealing the 5-0 victory. .

Both Xuan Son and Tien Linh are strikers who run well and penetrate the penalty area to score goals. In the match against Singapore, Xuan Son could be marked very tightly. But then, space for other players will appear. With the mindset of finding good space and experience playing with foreign soldiers at the club, Tien Linh will have the opportunity to “score points”.