AFF Cup 2024: Vietnam team and the journey to find themselves

LA NEW FIRE OF DESIRES

The Vietnamese team won the AFF Cup for the second time in 2018, opening a golden period lasting 5 consecutive years as the flagship of Southeast Asia with a series of achievements at the national team level and youth teams. . That golden cycle was associated with the generation of talented players who won silver medals at the U.23 Asian Championship with Coach Park Hang-seo considered a management master. After parting ways with coach Park Hang-seo, the Vietnamese team stagnated, and the quality of the youth classes after that also had quite a clear gap.

His successor Philippe Troussier wanted to carry out a personnel revolution but could not do so for many reasons. Now the responsibility is placed in the hands of coach Kim Sang-sik, the Korean coach who is also looking for success to assert himself. Compared to his two predecessors, Mr. Kim (born in 1976) is approximately 20 years younger and belongs to a different football generation, with much less coaching experience but is also trying to make changes, with his own imprints. initial.

A series of pillars such as Ngoc Hai, Hung Dung, Van Duc… who were not in good form had to give way to younger and more aspirational names. This AFF Cup 2024 is like an “all-in” gamble by Mr. Kim when he puts his faith in young talents like Hai Long, Vi Hao, Van Khang… or more “popular” names like Ngoc Tan, Jackie Chan. , Ngoc Quang… In Mr. Kim’s eyes, performance and desire to contribute to the team are the most important values.

In fact, the former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC head coach’s approach is similar to coach Philippe Troussier’s, but is more balanced by not rejuvenating in an extreme way. Mr. Kim’s determination to change is necessary to renew the fire of desire and competitiveness for the Vietnamese team. We need new factors to revive a team that is going downhill when there are faces whose performance is down due to injury, age, and even the feeling of being “full” of titles.

CÓ A TEAM VN “MORE POPULAR”.

At the AFF Cup 2024, we will see more new players entering the field, like Ngoc Tan pairing with Hoang Duc in the center of midfield (Quang Hai can even be a reserve). Ngoc Tan can be considered a typical case of Mr. Kim’s way of using people: At the age of 30, he was given the opportunity to play for the Vietnamese team in a major tournament for the first time. Throughout his career, the midfielder from Son Tay (Hanoi) has never left an impression at the youth levels, not standing out for his delicate ball-handling skills.

However, the captain of Thanh Hoa Club has asserted himself with his fiery playing style and strong fighting spirit. For coach Kim Sang-sik, he is a popular but necessary “scanner” model to add steel to a midfield with too many artists, whose ability to compete has weakened. In that calculation, Ngoc Tan is the top candidate to pair with Hoang Duc in the center of midfield, not vice-captain Quang Hai.

As a left striker, 21-year-old young man Bui Vi Hao is being considered by Mr. Kim for this position, even ahead of senior Pham Tuan Hai. While Khuat Van Khang will be trusted to guard the left corridor, Tien Anh will compete with Xuan Manh and Van Thanh on the opposite wing. Obviously, this will be a much more “popular” Vietnamese team than the famous names in the region, but can bring the performance, intensity and speed of play that Mr. Kim wants. The away match against the home team Laos will be an opportunity for us to recognize the revolution that the 1976-born military leader is vigorously implementing. We need a convincing performance to give more confidence to the team, which only has 6 names that won the 2018 AFF Cup, and also to regain trust from fans for a new start.