DTHE IMPRESSIONS OF A GOOD ASSISTANT
“Coach Kim Sang-sik is the one who draws the overall picture, and we are the executors,” assistant Choi Won-kwon shared with the media about how to divide tasks in the Vietnamese team’s coaching staff at the AFF Cup. 2024.
Mr. Kim’s working method is similar to previous coach Park Hang-seo. The head coach is not someone who starts coaching every small detail, but sets out the “big picture”, that is, strategy and tactics. Designing lesson plans, exercises and monitoring the players’ performance on the field is the job of the assistants. Here, the coaching team with assistants from Korea to Vietnam has completed the task well. “I want to thank the players and coaching assistants, because thanks to their efforts, dedication and responsibility, the Vietnamese team has reached its set goal,” coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed. .
Coach Kim Sang-sik has experienced assistants in the Vietnamese team
Coach Kim Sang-sik is good, but to be successful, it requires talented members of the coaching team such as assistant Choi Won-kwon, or goalkeeper coach Lee Woon-jae. Having worked in the K-League (leading Daegu FC) like Mr. Kim, assistant Choi has a youthful, energetic and direct “Korean standard” working style. Mr. Choi and coach Kim Sang-sik planned physical training plans to improve players’ endurance and strength, and contributed to the personnel rotation policy of the Vietnamese team at the 2024 AFF Cup.
Victory is crystallized from collective strength
Assistant Choi Won-kwon is also tactically sharp, providing Mr. Kim with ideas about the team’s operating philosophy, such as playing with a 3-4-3 formation, how to circulate the ball at high speed, or covering the team. Carefully line the second line to defend effectively against Thailand. The importance of assistant Choi to coach Kim Sang-sik is similar to assistant Lee Young-jin when coach Park Hang-seo was still in charge: he is the “right hand”, or the second brain in the coaching staff and brings Critical voice to increase training quality.
Goalkeeping coach Lee Woon-jae also deserves to be honored. Expert Doan Minh Xuong analyzed: “Mr. Lee and coach Kim Sang-sik saw the qualities of goalkeeper Dinh Trieu, then bravely went against public opinion to put their trust in him despite the risk if Dinh Trieu made a mistake. , the coaching staff’s ability will be questioned. That is a detail that needs to be discussed in depth, as to why they were able to do that. Coach Lee Woon-jae also showed great ability to spread fire thanks to his class during his time competition. This detail along with the Mr. Lee’s decisiveness proves the style and class of the Korean coaching staff. Mr. Lee is a good assistant and Mr. Kim found the right person.”
However, goalkeeper coach Lee Woon-jae’s contract with VFF only lasts 2 months, meaning he has bid farewell to the Vietnamese team after the 2024 AFF Cup. Assistant Choi Won-kwon also returned to Korea and is listening to suggestions. Domestic offers. It is not certain that Mr. Choi has returned.
CNEED TO FIND A TALENTED TEAM FOR YOU KIM
If assistant Choi follows in the footsteps of Mr. Lee Woon-jae and bids farewell to the Vietnamese team, coach Kim Sang-sik’s coaching team will be missing two very important positions. Although the Vietnamese team still has talented assistants such as fitness expert Cedric Rogers or Vietnamese “assistants”, perhaps more than anyone else, coach Kim Sang-sik understands the need to have talented Korean assistants. How important is it to plan strategies for the Vietnamese team?
Mr. Kim and his assistants went to the podium to receive the AFF Cup gold trophy
Mr. Kim was successful at AFF Cup 2024 because he is good and knows how to recognize and use talented people. VFF needs to find Korean coaches such talents, because the Vietnamese team’s coaching staff needs overall strength from many factors. A good coach but an inadequate team makes it difficult to make things happen.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his representative plan to discuss with VFF to propose personnel for the new coaching staff in February. The criteria for assistants will remain unchanged: class, experience, and appropriate working methods. compatible with head coach and players. To go long distances, Mr. Kim needs talented and loyal assistants. A stable coaching team will help the Vietnamese team (or soon U.23 Vietnam) maintain good results in 2025.
