The Vietnamese team starts slowly
Under the coach Kim Sang-Sik, the Vietnamese team was unbeaten in the last 12 matches (both official and international friendly), which won 10 wins. The last 8 matches in the framework of the AFF Cup 2024, Mr. Kim Thang’s teachers and students to 7, thus becoming the team with the most victory in a season in the Southeast Asian playground.
However, the relatively strange thing is that the Vietnamese team has a habit of starting slowly. At the AFF Cup 2024, only 2 of the 21 goals that coach Kim Sang-Sik’s student scored was in the first half.
The Vietnamese team (red shirt) is often difficult to kick in the first half
The remaining 19 goals came in the second half, including the tables in the time of extra time such as in the match against the Philippines (Doan Ngoc Tan scored 90+7), Singapore (Nguyen Tien Linh scored the 90+9 minute, Nguyen Xuan Son to score 90+14) or Thailand (Nguyen Hai Long scored 90+19).
The Vietnamese team won the championship thanks to the inspiration of Xuan Son (7 goals), combined with the impressive physical foundation to race against the opponent until the last minute. However, the limitation of the team trained by Mr. Kim Sang-Sik is often unable to impose the game to quickly crush the opponent, but have to plunge into the physical race.
Only in the first half at the AFF Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team could not score against Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar (group stage), Singapore (semi -finals) and Thailand (final round). Even when meeting teams like Laos or Philippines, Quang Hai and his teammates did not play in the first 45 minutes.
Although in football, the new half plays an important role when containing moments of deciding the match, but it is undeniable the role of the first half.
Need to enter better
The slow starting habit of the Vietnamese team comes from a variety of reasons: the priority philosophy of the defense of coach Kim Sang-Sik, the ability to catch the bad match of many players …
However, the core cause is still in the fact that the Vietnamese team is still the priority team that plays counterattack, can not really press and impose the gameplay. For example, in the match against Laos, Mr. Kim’s students could not put their opponents back home, but played very monotonous and lacked pieces. The Vietnamese team only flooded the match in the second half, when the opponent had fallen.
The Vietnamese team needs to impose better gameplay
At the AFF Cup 2024, the long lines from the defense and the middle line become effective, when Mr. Kim has a muscular striker and is good at dispute like Xuan Son. Mr. Kim once told the player that the ball was difficult (difficult situations) … passed to Xuan Son. He can handle independence between row defender, catching the ball in situations where other teammates are hardly managed.
However, Xuan Son will take an additional 6 months, certainly without a friendly match against Cambodia (19.3) and 2 matches in the Asian Cup qualifier against Laos and Malaysia. The Vietnamese team is difficult to play in such a simple way.
The defenders and midfielder need more durable communications to circulate the ball, the attacks also need to coordinate the shape and more smoothly. In the hands of coach Kim Sang-Sik, there is Tien Linh and Dinh Thanh Binh for the striker. Regardless of the striker, the Vietnamese team also needs to control the match well and attack the classroom. We no longer have a “him” with foreign body to depend anymore.
Meeting the team like Cambodia is the opportunity for coach Kim Sang-Sik to test the new tactical piece. The Cambodian team is stronger than Laos, there are many naturalized players “cheeks”, how to play is also rich in techniques and focus on controlling the ball. The progress of Cambodia in the past 5 years has not been underestimated.
Therefore, the Vietnamese team must learn how to master the match to “steer” the desired development. It is not simple to force Cambodia, but just wait to see what the remaining firepower of Mr. Kim can do.
