Tien Linh’s mission
AFF Cup 2024 is the fourth time Tien Linh has participated in the highest football playground at the Southeast Asian level. This is also the tournament that witnessed the growth steps of the 27-year-old striker.
Specifically, at the AFF Cup 2018, Tien Linh only played a reserve role for senior strikers such as Anh Duc, Van Quyet, and Tien Linh. At the AFF Cup 2020, striker Binh Duong played more minutes, but he was still a “substitute”, not leaving much of an impression.
AFF Cup 2022 is Tien Linh’s pinnacle, when the striker born in 1997 plays the role of leading the attack. 6 goals (including 3 goals against Thailand and Indonesia) and the top scorer position say it all.
Tien Linh scored his first goal in AFF Cup 2024
Even after the 2022 AFF Cup, Tien Linh went through a quiet time under coach Philippe Troussier (injured, not used seriously). But overall, the 27-year-old striker is still one of the most effective strikers Vietnamese football has ever produced.
What Tien Linh brings to the AFF Cup 2024 is impressive performance, with 7 goals after the first 9 rounds of the V-League with Binh Duong Club. Not only does he compete fairly with foreign strikers, Tien Linh also matures in his playing style. He is no longer the center forward “hanging in a hammock” in the penalty area, but moves hard to make the ball connect with the play, opening up space for his teammates.
In theory, Tien Linh’s increasingly perfect running and wall-building skills will make him an important piece in the way coach Kim Sang-sik plays.
However, in the 4-1 win against Laos, Tien Linh could not prove his influence. The striker wearing shirt number 22 still scored, but it came from a situation where the opponent made a mistake, at a time when his physical strength was low (midway through the second half).
Tien Linh had the ball cut at his feet by his opponent
In the first half, when the Vietnamese team could not deploy sharp play, having to use many long passes and high crosses to find opportunities, Tien Linh did not show much. The biggest “imprint” of the main striker on the Vietnamese side was just the situation of escaping to face the goalkeeper, but the Lao midfielder cut the ball right at his feet, before he could shoot the shot.
In the remaining time, Tien Linh mainly ran to attract people so that Vi Hao could have space to score. He could not fight independently and was “pinned” by his opponents, nor could he retreat to coordinate well with his teammates. Obviously, coach Kim Sang-sik needs more than that from the player who is at the peak of his form, tasked with leading the attack.
The challenge is called Indonesia
In the reunion on December 15 at Viet Tri Stadium, the Vietnamese team is dominating against Indonesia. Mr. Kim’s teachers and students have a more experienced and durable force than the U.21 group that coach Shin Tae-yong brought to the AFF Cup.
Indonesia’s defensive weakness was exposed in the match against Laos, which was that the defenders of the ten thousand islands, although competing well, were impatient and lacked discipline.
Facing a loose defense is an opportunity for Tien Linh and his teammates to score. He scored a goal against Indonesia in the last match at the AFF Cup (2022), and scored 2 more goals against the national team, as well as Indonesian youth teams in the period 2021 – 2022. The newspaper Bolaof Indonesia affirmed that Tien Linh is a dangerous striker that this country’s team must take good care of.
Tien Linh hits Indonesia’s goal again?
However, the Vietnamese team cannot be subjective. Because with Indonesia’s young army, anything can happen. Confronting the opponent’s youth and ambition, Vietnam needs to play wisely and disciplined, taking advantage of experience to put the opponent into a trap.
In a calculated battle, Tien Linh’s role is even more important. The ability to choose smart positions and finish well is an advantage for the 27-year-old striker to exploit the space behind the Indonesian defense, showing his “coldness” in his ability to take advantage of opportunities.
At the same time, coach Kim Sang-sik also needs his students to coordinate better with the surrounding satellites. Tien Linh must become the fulcrum for the attack, instead of purely taking on the task of scoring goals. The challenge at Viet Tri Stadium is not easy to solve, but hopefully the more difficult it is, the more the 22-year-old striker will be able to express himself.
Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is shown live and completely on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn
