Teacher Kim’s talent on the day the Vietnamese team “beat” Thailand

Vietnam team: No cards? It’s okay

“We left space, then Xuan Son scored,” coach Masatada Ishii exclaimed after Thailand’s 1-2 defeat to the Vietnamese team in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final. The Japanese coach understood the feeling of Myanmar and Singapore, when they became victims of the nightmare called Xuan Son.

There are not many words to praise the Brazilian-born striker. Xuan Son scored. Xuan Son created. Xuan Son designed the gameplay. Xuan Son also became a pioneer, throwing himself into disputes to pave the way for his teammates to advance. It’s hard to imagine, without the striker wearing shirt number 12, where the Vietnamese team would go in the battle with the Thais on the evening of January 2.

But, football doesn’t have the word “if”. The Vietnamese team won thanks to Xuan Son. More deeply, thanks to coach Kim Sang-sik making good use of the factors he has, the 27-year-old striker is just a piece of the puzzle in the overall picture.

Pay attention to the details: Thailand excels in every statistic related to gameplay execution. The away team holds the ball more (63% compared to 37% of Vietnam), passes one and a half times more (464 passes compared to 262). However, the Vietnamese team is overwhelming in the indexes related to creating scoring situations: more shots (21 compared to 13), superior shots on target (9 compared to 3), clear opportunities also dominate. surfing (4 vs. 2).

Of course, coach Kim Sang-sik only needs that. The new finishing index is the key to victory, and of course, the Vietnamese team does not need to control the ball much to do that.

It’s hard to blame Mr. Kim when the Vietnamese team doesn’t have a clear playing philosophy. Building a smooth playing strategy in the national team, which… only meets once in a while, is much more difficult than at the club level, where the players practice together every day. With a football background that doesn’t have a good enough foundation like Vietnam’s, controlling the ball and playing with the upper hand is impossible.

However, Mr. Kim received the target of helping the team reach the finals of the 2024 AFF Cup after only 6 months of work. Therefore, kicking is fine, as long as you win, gradually becoming the guideline that shapes the Korean coach’s ship.

In the final match against Thailand, the Vietnamese team minimized their passes, but maximized their effectiveness. For example, in the opening goal, Quang Hai received the ball on the right wing, still very far from Thailand’s goal. But just a long pass from the wing for Van Thanh to head the ball and then Xuan Son to rush in, the Thai net shook. A very basic attack, in the primer of any textbook, but Thailand could not stop it.

That is also Mr. Kim’s approach: the important thing is efficiency, whether the ball is short or long, how many touches are coordinated, it doesn’t matter.

Run, run and run some more

However, it is not so simple to be able to play… “simple”. First, there must be a good striker. Coach Kim Sang-sik is lucky to have Xuan Son and vice versa, Xuan Son is also lucky that the Vietnamese team’s football playing system has placed him in a core role. A risky bet, because from the beginning, perhaps no one thought the Brazilian-born striker could adapt so quickly.

Next, is a good physical foundation and a reasonable pressing strategy. Half of the opportunities the Vietnamese team created against Thailand came from close attacks, winning the ball and then organizing quick attacks. Understanding that the Thai defense did not control the ball well, coach Kim Sang-sik directed his players to press high, causing the away team’s defenders to awkwardly lose the ball.

The situation where Chalermsak Aukkee made a mistake, allowing Xuan Son to pass and score was predicted by Mr. Kim in the pre-match training session. Fast, strong and muscular is also a familiar approach of Korean coaches, in contrast to the classy and methodical approach of Japanese coaches. In the battle between water and fire last night, the Vietnamese team won because they made fewer mistakes. Sometimes winning a trophy is all you need.

In the end, victory comes from the Vietnamese spirit. The image of Doan Ngoc Tan being fouled, kicked in the thigh and then stepped on his hand, but still standing up to play the entire match… says it all. The Vietnamese team has tried very hard to make up for its shortcomings. If you have poorer tactical skills, you have to run more; if you are not as strong, you have to be more resilient. With 17 goals scored in the second half, the Vietnamese team rekindled the concept of “not giving up” that seemed to have receded when Mr. Park left the hot seat.

If you play with the spirit of not giving up, it won’t matter how difficult the return match is. The Vietnamese team will still go up against the wind!