A warning for coach Kim Sang-sik
On the evening of January 19, Nam Dinh Club lost 0-1 to The Cong Viettel at Thien Truong’s home field in round 10 of the V-League. Although they have not lost second place, a warning has appeared for coach Vu Hong Viet’s team when Xuan Son is no longer present. That is also a detail that coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnamese team need to pay attention to. Missing a key striker is never easy, for any team.
When Xuan Son was on the field, Nam Dinh Club won 4 consecutive matches in the V-League, scoring 14 goals. Without a striker born in 1997, the Nam team only scored 2 goals in the last 3 matches and did not win any games.
Nam Dinh Club misses Xuan Son very much
Nam Dinh Club can “live” well without Van Toan or Hendrio Araujo, but Xuan Son is a different story. The Brazilian striker’s influence on gameplay lies not only in the aspect of goals (of course he is very good at scoring goals), but also in the path leading to that goal. A comprehensive striker, good at all attacking skills, passionate and mischievous kicking like Xuan Son has raised the level of Nam Dinh Club’s attack. What people saw Xuan Son do at the AFF Cup 2024, he actually did… every week in the V-League.
Of course, the more influential a player is, the more difficult it is to replace. Up to this point, Nam Dinh Club has still not found anyone who can fill Xuan Son’s role (shown in poor results and gameplay). The same thing could happen to the Vietnamese team. Xuan Son takes 8 months off, which means he will miss matches against Laos (March), Malaysia (June) and Nepal (September), equivalent to the first half of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. When he returns, it is not certain whether he will be a striker or not. The 28 year old has returned to top form.
Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that although Xuan Son is classy, the Vietnamese team still does not depend on any individual. However, let’s look at the second leg of the final. After Xuan Son left the field, the Vietnamese team scored 2 goals, but 1 goal came from a goal scored by Pansa Hemviboon (stemming from a situation where Tuan Hai did not finish well), while the other goal came from a rebound. attack when the opponent has left the entire goal.
Who did Teacher Kim find to replace Xuan Son?
The Vietnamese team can still attack when Xuan Son is absent, but clearly, the path to the goal is much more difficult. Not having a good striker on the field means Vietnam’s opponents can push their team higher, putting pressure on the defense.
Tien Linh and… who else?
Coach Kim Sang-sik used Tien Linh in the first 3 matches of the tournament, when Xuan Son was not eligible to play. When Xuan Son appeared, Tien Linh sat on the bench. That means, the 1-center forward scheme is still Mr. Kim’s top priority.
Sharing with the media, midfielder Doan Ngoc Tan affirmed that coach Kim Sang-sik’s favorite playing style is to push the ball to the front line as quickly as possible. This style of play requires a lot from a striker: he needs to be strong enough to shield the ball, skillful enough to block the ball neatly, or flexible enough to independently fight in case his teammates cannot support him in time. Xuan Son has brightened the offensive picture of the Vietnamese team because he fits the philosophy.
Without him, coach Kim Sang-sik has only two paths: find a good striker with qualities nearly equivalent to Xuan Son, which is… unrealistic given the quality of domestic strikers. Or find a playing style that suits your existing personality.
In the hands of the Korean military leader, there is Tien Linh. Although his playing style is still lacking, the 28-year-old striker is still the top scorer under Mr. Kim (7 goals). He has playing experience, the ability to score goals and find space. However, to promote Tien Linh’s ability, the Vietnamese team must play in a different way. It is not possible to push the ball to the striker according to the “faster the better” criteria like the AFF Cup, but need to coordinate more systematically and systematically, have many diverse attack solutions, and promote the abilities of the attacking midfielders. more, instead of expecting the striker… to do it all.
Need more from Tien Linh (red shirt)
In addition, teacher Kim also needs more backup strikers. Counting on a few strikers is a risky gamble.
Advantageous for coach Kim Sang-sik, in 2 of the first 3 matches without Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team faced weaker opponents (Laos and Nepal). The match against Malaysia at Bukit Jalil in June will be difficult, but unlike the AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team plays at a very low density with only 3 matches in the next 6 months.
The time for the Vietnamese team to calculate fighting strategies and gameplay will be “longer”. Difficulties are an opportunity for Mr. Kim to prove his ability, that the Vietnamese team will not depend on any individual.
