3 days is a short enough time for a team not to forget the problems of the previous match. But for coach Kim Sang-sik, 3 days from the draw with Singapore to the 3-0 victory over Indonesia are enough for him to create a very different Vietnamese team.
The biggest difference lies in the midfield. The character that seems to be least noticed, Le Pham Thanh Long, has become an important piece for the Korean coach's move to be effective.
Against Singapore, the Vietnamese team started with a strong attacking squad. Hoang Duc and Quang Hai were present in midfield, above were Dinh Bac, Hoang Hen and Nguyen Xuan Son. Vietnam has many creative players, but Mr. Kim Sang-sik himself after the match also admitted that the midfield is a problem.
Arriving at Pakansari, Mr. Kim changed. Quang Hai, Hoang Hen, Xuan Son were all on the bench. Hai Long, Tai Loc were used, but the most notable adjustment was that Thanh Long appeared next to Hoang Duc. That was a change that was not noisy, but created a very clear effect.
Thanh Long took on a large amount of work in midfield, helping Hoang Duc have more space and freedom to move forward. As a result, these two midfielders became the two players with the highest scores on the match by Flashscore: Hoang Duc 8.6 points, Thanh Long 7.9 points.
Hoang Duc has 2 assists, 3 chances-creating passes, created 2 big chances, passed accurately 36/39 times, reaching 92%. In the last 1/3 of the field, he passed accurately 7/8 times, dribbled successfully 3/3, won 7/9 duels on the field and had 6 ball recoveries.
When Hoang Duc was placed in more favorable conditions to promote his creativity, the Vietnamese team immediately had a brain controlling the match. And behind that brain was Thanh Long. This midfielder played all 90 minutes, had 1 assist, 2 chances-creating passes, passed accurately 43/48 times, reaching 90%.
Notably, Thanh Long made 11/12 accurate passes in the final 1/3 of the field and especially 7/7 long passes. He won 6/9 duels, and had a total of 7 situations of recovering the ball, intercepting and blocking. That is exactly the cohesion that Vietnam's midfield needs.
The 2nd goal is a typical image. Jackie Chan put the ball up for Hai Long to exploit the space and finish to increase the score to 2-0. A situation that shows the value of the ability to quickly switch positions that Mr. Kim Sang-sik wants to create against Indonesia. The point worth mentioning therefore is not only in who Mr. Kim replaces, but in who he changes the function of the whole system by choosing the right people.
Against Singapore, Vietnam tried to control and impose an aggressively defensive opponent. Against Indonesia, the team became more balanced, more determined in disputes and ready to exploit spaces immediately after winning the ball.
Hai Long, Dinh Bac, Tai Loc or Van Vi bring speed and energy. Thanh Long creates solidity in midfield, while Hoang Duc is released to become the one to make decisive passes.
In the second half, when the game was already in calculation, coach Kim Sang-sik continued to bring Xuan Son onto the field, and he himself scored in the 71st minute, sealing a 3-0 victory. That is also a noteworthy message from Pakansari: the Vietnamese team does not necessarily have to bring all the best attacking players onto the field at the same time, causing Indonesian fans and media to be "continuously offside".
Sometimes, the right person is more important than many good people. Le Pham Thanh Long may not be the most prominent name before kick-off, but he is the piece that helps Hoang Duc play one of his most effective matches.
And Mr. Kim Sang-sik shows the important qualities of a coach: seeing the problem, admitting the problem and most importantly, finding the solution right in the next match.
From My Dinh to Pakansari was only 3 days. But in those 3 days, coach Kim Sang-sik changed the structure of the midfield, changed the approach and finally changed the face of the Vietnamese team. One Chess move by Jackie Chan, but it opened up the whole chessboard for Hoang Duc.
