Thanh Chung’s return journey
During the final stage of Park Hang-seo’s “dynasty”, Thanh Chung gradually became more trusted. At that time, the performance of the midfielder from Tuyen Quang was quite stable, playing well in both . Many experts and fans estimate that he will be the mainstay of the Vietnamese team in the near future.
However, this did not happen. Coach Troussier’s successor believes more in younger midfielders such as Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Nguyen Thanh Binh. In addition, the French strategist prefers to use a left-footed player to play left-sided central defender (Phan Tuan Tai). These two reasons, combined with an injury, meant that Thanh Chung did not have the opportunity to contribute to the Vietnamese team. From June 2023 to June 2024, players on the payroll of Hanoi Club will either not be called up, or not registered to play in friendly matches, the 2023 Asian Cup and the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
Thanh Chung is increasingly important in the Vietnamese team
When coach Kim Sang-sik arrived, the door to the Vietnamese team opened for Thanh Chung. From 3 friendly matches with Russia, Thailand, and India to the first 2 matches in the AFF Cup 2024 with Laos and Indonesia, the midfielder born in 1997 all played the full 90 minutes. In friendly matches, Mr. Kim believes in using midfielders Que Ngoc Hai, Thanh Binh and Thanh Chung. At the Southeast Asian Championship, this strategist used Duy Manh, Xuan Manh, Bui Tien Dung and Thanh Chung. That shows that Thanh Chung is receiving absolute trust from coach Kim Sang-sik.
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Thanh Chung is trustworthy
It is no coincidence that Thanh Chung was “planned” by coach Kim Sang-sik for the position of central defender of the Vietnamese team. In three FIFA Days friendly matches in September and October, he played impressively. Even in the confrontation with the world-class team Russia, he won Sofascore scored 7.5 points, the highest of the Vietnamese team and higher than half of the opposing team.
After the first two matches of the AFF Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team did not have to face too much pressure when coach Kim Sang-sik’s students dominated both the Laos and Indonesia teams. However, Thanh Chung still left certain marks. According to Sofascoremidfielder number 16 had a passing accuracy rate of up to 98% in the match against Indonesia. He made 9 long passes and achieved a 100% success rate. Those are very impressive numbers. By making so many accurate passes, he contributed a lot to the playing style of the Vietnamese team.
Thanh Chung is always very strong in aerial combat
Thanh Chung defeated the main striker of the Indonesian team – Rafael Struick despite being 5 cm shorter than his opponent
In defense, Thanh Chung still showed certainty, had many situations of speed racing with the opposing striker and successfully cleared the ball. Most notably, this player’s rate of winning high ball disputes is almost absolute: 7/8. Thanks to his good heading ability, Thanh Chung is also a familiar “destination” in situations where the Vietnamese team receives a free kick or corner kick.
Thanh Chung is also an important “strategic card” of coach Kim Sang-sik. When the Vietnamese team needs to attack more, switching from a 3-4-3 formation to a 4-3-3 formation, the midfielder of Hanoi Club will be pushed to play as a defensive midfielder. This plan was tested in the second half of the match against the Russian team.
In the immediate journey to reclaim the Southeast Asian throne, coach Kim Sang-sik needs Thanh Chung to continue maintaining such stable performance. As for this individual midfielder, he also needs to assert himself by shining in his first role as a “main double” in the Vietnamese team.
Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is shown live and completely on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn
