‘Weapon’ helps Bui Tien Dung regain his position in the Vietnamese team

Bui Tien Dung’s ‘comeback’

Bui Tien Dung is one of the members of the “golden generation” of Vietnamese football under coach Park Hang-seo. But under coach Philippe Troussier, this player is no longer used. He was only able to play in two 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against the Indonesian team, in a position that is not his forte, right center back.

At the beginning of Coach Kim Sang-sik’s “reign”, Tien Dung also seemed to be forgotten. He played in the 3-2 victory over the Philippines team but was then not called up for FIFA Days in September and October to play friendlies with the Russian, Thai and Indian teams. At that time, the central defenders who were newly captained by the Vietnamese team were Nguyen Thanh Binh, Que Ngoc Hai and Nguyen Thanh Chung.

There are many reasons why Tien Dung is no longer the mainstay of the Vietnamese team before the 2024 AFF Cup. A persistent knee injury prevents him from being in the best shape. Besides, it is likely that the coaches think he is not suitable for the football philosophy they are building.

But now, things are different. At AFF Cup 2024, Tien Dung started 4 of the 5 matches of the Vietnamese team. Having a history of knee injuries, he was allowed to rest during the trip to Rizal Memorial Stadium (Philippines), which has an artificial turf field. And as soon as the pain started in the semi-final first leg against the Singapore team, the Viettel Sports Club player was immediately let go. These things show that Tien Dung is now the mainstay of the Vietnamese team.

Why does coach Kim Sang-sik need Bui Tien Dung?

According to Sofascoreexcept for the semi-final first leg against Singapore (only played 45 minutes), Tien Dung always scored 7 points or more. He is always the highest scoring player in the Vietnamese team’s defense in 3 group stage matches.

Tien Dung’s difference lies in his ability to pass the ball. His passing accuracy rate in 4 matches was 84%, 91%, 94% and 82% respectively. This number shows that he passes the ball better than other central defenders of the Vietnamese team such as Xuan Manh, Thanh Chung or Duy Manh.

Most importantly, Tien Dung has very good long passing ability. In the match against Laos, he made a perfect pass to Hai Long to score, breaking the deadlock for the Vietnamese team. In the remaining matches, Tien Dung always had a very high long pass accuracy rate: 75%, 83% and 83%. In addition, he can also make quality cross-line passes. The situation in the 20th minute of the match against Singapore is a typical example. Tien Dung brought the ball to Hoang Duc’s feet even though in front of him were two silhouettes in red shirts. After that, Hoang Duc passed the ball inside for Xuan Son to beautifully hook the ball.

That’s why coach Kim Sang-sik has full trust in Tien Dung. The Korean strategist let the Vietnamese team attack from home, mainly making many short passes. But sometimes, depending on the opponent and the situation, he wants the “Golden Star Warriors” to attack more directly, with more speed and ask his students to make long passes behind the opponent’s defense. for the attacking players to run up and exploit. At this time, Tien Dung has the opportunity to show his strengths.

At this time, when the Vietnamese team has Xuan Son, a striker with speed, technique, good at making walls, and ready to receive the ball with his back to the opponent’s goal, Tien Dung will have more. acting land”.