Red alert
After the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnam team has only played two matches against Laos and Cambodia. The "Golden Star Warriors" scored 7 goals but did not have any goals from the strikers.
Van Vi, Chau Ngoc Quang, Hai Long became the "undisputed" main strikers. The attack without scoring in 2-3 matches is not a big deal, but on the condition that the opponent must be strong.
Obviously, Laos and Cambodia are not the teams that can make the Vietnamese team so stuck even though they are improving day by day.
Here, strikers like Tien Linh and Tuan Hai are not really completing their tasks.
Some are injured, some have declined in form, making it sometimes difficult for the Vietnamese team to choose a striker that they like.
Not to mention, the playing style and ball deployment of the Vietnamese team are smooth and familiar with Nguyen Xuan Son.
In other words, the entire Vietnamese team can operate only to serve the striker born in 1997 while still ensuring efficiency.
When there is no outstanding individual like Son, Mr. Kim has to figure out a new plan.
In this training session, the situation did not improve much when a series of players were injured.
Coach Kim Sang-sik decided to call up Nguyen Cong Phuong - who has not played for the national team for nearly 2 years.
In addition, hope is placed on Nguyen Tien Linh, Pham Tuan Hai and Dinh Thanh Binh.
Who will play the main striker?
Surprisingly, the hopeful players are players playing in the First Division such as Dinh Thanh Binh and Nguyen Cong Phuong.
Dinh Thanh Binh brought balance when trying to defend and chase the ball continuously, but few people dared to expect the player born in 1998.
The performance of Nguyen Tien Linh and Pham Tuan Hai became alarming. Tuan Hai did not play well but at least he could still score regularly every week.
As for Tien Linh, he gradually lost his strength in the race for the Golden Boot award with Lucas Ribamar (Thanh Hoa) and Lucao (Hai Phong).
It is difficult to blame Nguyen Tien Linh because Binh Duong has declined rapidly. Sometimes, the striker from Hai Duong still wasted the opportunity to score in mysterious ways.
Cong Phuong is not necessarily better than his teammates at this time. The peak of the Nghe An star has passed.
However, Cong Phuong's starts and set-pieces still contained major breakthroughs.
The last 30 minutes of the match are the right time for Cong Phuong to shine in international matches.
The striker born in 1995 has scored 7 goals - currently leading the list of top scorers in the First Division.
Coach Kim Sang-sik needs him to bring this form back to the national team, especially against a tough opponent like Malaysia.
