Opportunities for absent stars at AFF Cup 2024
To prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign (starting March 25), VFF has made quite a detailed plan. Accordingly, on March 20, the Vietnamese team is scheduled to have a friendly match with Myanmar at Binh Duong stadium. This is a match for coach Kim Sang-sik to review the squad and give a final general assessment of the Vietnamese team’s strength, before we attend the Asian qualifiers.
The domestic strikers want to make their mark at the time of Xuan Son’s injury
Without Xuan Son in the squad, will the Vietnamese team have a different playing style?
In the matches in March and June this year, within the framework of the Asian Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese team will certainly be absent striker Nguyen Xuan Son due to injury. This is a risk for the Vietnamese team in general and a risk for Xuan Son in particular, but it is also an opportunity for other strikers to show their abilities and prove their necessity for the team.
In addition to Nguyen Tien Linh, who is almost certain to play as a center forward to replace Xuan Son, other strikers will compete for a position to play alongside the player wearing the Binh Duong team shirt. In a number of matches in domestic tournaments in recent days (V-League and National Cup), there are two domestic strikers who are performing well, including Nham Manh Dung (The Cong Viettel) and Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong (Binh Positive).
These two strikers are not present at the AFF Cup 2024, but maybe they will be given the opportunity in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Both Viet Cuong (1.80 m tall) and Manh Dung (1.81 m) are The striker has advantages in body shape, good technique, and experience in international competition, thanks to having previously played for the U.23 Vietnam team. Particularly, Viet Cuong has good free kick ability, which will help the Vietnamese team increase the danger in fixed situations. It would not be surprising if these strikers played in the match against Laos (March 25) in the Asian Cup qualifiers, or the friendly match with Myanmar (March 20).
Also among the strikers who cannot participate in the 2024 AFF Cup, young player Dinh Bac (Hanoi Police Club) and veteran star Nguyen Cong Phuong (Binh Phuoc) are also names that fans are interested in. .
These are technically inclined players who can help coach Kim Sang-sik change the Vietnamese team’s attacking style of play, from a long, physical style of kicking the ball, putting a lot of ball on Xuan Son first. Here, switch to a short ball combination, controlling the ball more up front, in the context of Xuan Son’s injury.
Active competition between domestic strikers
On the contrary, the strikers who were once named in the AFF Cup squad, but still need to strive harder, if they do not want to lose their place in the national team. This number includes striker Dinh Thanh Binh, who performed quite poorly at the Southeast Asian football championship. Dinh Thanh Binh is also the only striker of the Vietnamese team at the 2024 AFF Cup who did not score any goals.
Young talent Bui Vi Hao is a striker attracting attention on the domestic field
Thanh Binh must prove that he is more effective than before in order to maintain his place in the team, in a context where there are currently many other strikers, such as Nham Manh Dung, Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong, Nguyen Dinh Bac, or Nguyen Cong Phuong is full of desire to replace Dinh Thanh Binh in the Vietnamese team.
Even those who have performed well at the AFF Cup like Bui Vi Hao or Nguyen Van Toan, they still need to perform better to prove they deserve to stay in the national team. The competition between domestic strikers in the coming days will therefore be very fierce. And the above competition will create motivation to help the Vietnamese team develop better, creating motivation to make the domestic field better and more attractive!
