Cong Phuong still regularly scores goals for Binh Phuoc Football Club. However, don’t forget that this is just a lower-ranked team in the Vietnamese professional football system. The competitiveness of the first division, where Cong Phuong still plays every week, is definitely not as high as the V-League. In addition, the competitiveness in the Binh Phuoc team’s squad is certainly not as high as the competitiveness in the top V-League teams such as Hanoi Police Football Club (CAHN), Hanoi FC, Nam Dinh, The Cong Viettel, Binh Duong… Cong Phuong’s starting position in the Southeast team is certainly easier than winning the starting position in the teams competing for the V-League championship.
Cong Phuong still has many opportunities to return to play for the Vietnamese team
Therefore, it is difficult to use Cong Phuong’s performance in the Binh Phuoc Club shirt to comment on whether or not this striker should be called up to the Vietnamese team by coach Kim Sang-sik. Coach Kim Sang-sik himself also spoke up about Cong Phuong’s issue: “He is a good player, in good form for Binh Phuoc Club. However, unfortunately, the time I spent watching Cong Phuong Not much, not enough for me to decide to call him to the national team.”
Furthermore, calling any player to the national team depends on the philosophy of each coach, depending on the style of play that coach advocates to build. The style of play built by the coach will determine whether the player involved is suitable for the general operation of the national team or not.
Regarding this issue, Cong Phuong is not the only controversial case before the AFF Cup begins. Que Ngoc Hai, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa (Binh Duong), Do Hung Dung (Hanoi FC), To Van Vu (Nam Dinh), goalkeeper Dang Van Lam (Ninh Binh)… were also unfortunately eliminated. But with the 2024 AFF Cup championship, coach Kim Sang-sik has just proven he made the right choice.
Cong Phuong’s opportunity in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers
Then it is also related to compatibility, Cong Phuong’s playing style that favors keeping the ball a lot in the front line, is it compatible with the number 1 striker of the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup, Nguyen Xuan Son. At the Southeast Asian Football Championship, Mr. Kim advocated for the Vietnamese team to play quickly, pushing the ball to Xuan Son at the front line, so that the striker could handle the ball as quickly as possible.
Cong Phuong can replace Xuan Son’s role during the time Xuan Son is injured
The effectiveness of using Xuan Son in AFF Cup 2024 has been solved, but the effectiveness of combining Cong Phuong with Xuan Son is still a question mark? Therefore, it is difficult to blame coach Kim Sang-sik in this matter, since the results are still very favorable for the Vietnamese team.
Of course, the opportunity to return to the Vietnamese team is still very much there for Cong Phuong, especially in the context of Xuan Son’s injury. Xuan Son has a long-term injury, coach Kim Sang-sik’s team needs new elements for the striker more than ever. Maybe Cong Phuong will be such a factor, helping the Korean coach find another breakthrough.
The problem is that Cong Phuong must persevere, the opportunity to play for the team, and even take a place in an official competition, never ends for anyone. Goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu is a typical example of this. It was thought that Dinh Trieu would forever be the shadow of goalkeeper Nguyen Filip, but Dinh Trieu suddenly shined at the Southeast Asian championship, helping the Vietnamese team win the gold cup. Dinh Trieu himself was chosen by experts as the goalkeeper. Best subject of the tournament!
