Coach Kim Sang-sik brought a big surprise in the first match of the Vietnamese team at the ASEAN Cup (formerly known as the AFF Cup) 2024. In the goal, goalkeeper Nguyen Filip was the reserve for Nguyen Dinh Trieu. Many people think that this is a rare opportunity for Dinh Trieu, because the opponent on the opening day is not too strong.
However, few coaches really want to experiment in the opening match of a tournament. In fact, the Vietnamese team encountered many difficulties against Laos and did not easily win as predicted before the match.
A typical example is the match between Thailand and Timor Leste in Group A. Even though the opponent was rated the lowest in the tournament, coach Ishii Masatada still put all his best players on the field and the team from the Golden Temple won 10-0.
After the training trip to Korea, the goalkeeper position became the place with the most changes in the Vietnam team. Dang Van Lam was removed from the list due to a relapse of his injury and Tran Trung Kien was unexpectedly invited to the ASEAN Cup, ready to compete with his senior.
Dinh Trieu and Filip were named in the race for the starting position. In the end, the "domestic" goalkeeper Dinh Trieu was chosen. Many sources said that the goalkeeper from Hai Phong club is the number 1 goalkeeper of the Vietnam team, not Filip. Therefore, Filip's reserve position is expected to last longer.
Back to the question of when Nguyen Filip will have a chance to play? Most likely coach Kim Sang-sik will not change the goalkeeper, at least in the important match against Indonesia at home in the next round.
In fact, Dinh Trieu has always played well in V.League. His reflexes, ability to get in and out and his footwork skills are not bad.
The most mentioned difference between Filip and Dinh Trieu is the connection and ability to communicate with the 3 central defenders above. This is just one of many factors to compare between goalkeepers. But at a time when the Vietnamese national team's defense no longer has Que Ngoc Hai, Mr. Kim needs to prioritize personnel with leadership qualities like Dinh Trieu.
If the goalkeeper commands the defense well, the players will play more reasonably and safely. Nguyen Filip tried hard to integrate with his teammates, but his Vietnamese speaking ability did not seem to improve much compared to expectations.
When a former Asian-class goalkeeper like Lee Won-jae - the new goalkeeper coach of the Vietnamese national team - chooses personnel, he must have his own reasons.
The mistake in the match against Laos became a big minus for Dinh Trieu. But if Mr. Kim "puts" his student away, Dinh Trieu will no longer have a chance to correct his mistake.
If he is allowed to play, the match against Indonesia will be the best time for Dinh Trieu to prove that it was all an accident and that he deserves to be the number 1 goalkeeper. On the contrary, when Filip is given the opportunity to play, the goalkeeper born in 1992 needs to make much more effort than at present.
