The Vietnam national team's September training session was announced by VFF with many new faces to review the force for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. In addition to pillars such as Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Hoang Duc, Tien Linh, Tuan Hai, a series of young players such as Quan Van Chuan, Dinh Quang Kiet, Tran Hoang Phuc, Ly Cong Hoang Anh or Pham Gia Hung were all given opportunities.
Notably, Mr. Kim Sang-sik did not directly manage because he was busy leading U23 in the U23 Asian qualifiers. Instead, head coach Dinh Hong Vinh will direct the training sessions as well as this friendly match.
Before the match: Nam Dinh with an "all- foreign" squad
Nam Dinh fielded a very special squad with 11 players born and raised abroad, most of whom have competed in fierce tournaments in Europe and South America. These include Percy Tau - former Premier League Brighton star, Romulo (Brazil), Mahmoud Eid (Palestine), Caio Cesar (Brazil), Mitchell Dijks (Netherlands) and names like Pape Diakite or Hendrik Helmke.
The appearance of Kyle Hudlin, a 2.06m tall striker, is a big challenge for the Vietnamese national team's defense, which often faces difficulties when facing the ball. The fact that Nam Dinh can launch a "all-out team" shows a clear difference in physical class, fitness and experience.
One half for the main squad, one half for testing
Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh started the match with the strongest squad with the participation of key players such as Duy Manh, Hoang Duc, Tien Anh and Thanh Chung. The Vietnamese team started the game well, maintaining balance in the first 20 minutes. However, the moment of distraction of the defense created conditions for Romulo to open the score. After conceding the goal, the Vietnamese team tried to pass the ball to Hoang Duc, but the difference in pressing caused the playing style to quickly break.
In the second half, with the nature of the friendly match, Mr. Vinh replaced almost the entire squad. New, inexperienced faces immediately revealed the gap and lack of connection. Nam Dinh took full advantage, scoring 3 more goals thanks to Mahmoud Eid and a double from Hudlin.
After the match: Lessons from failure
Despite losing 0 4, the team's coaching staff affirmed that this was just a practice match to serve long-term goals. In addition, Nam Dinh Steel Blue also allowed almost all foreign players to compete. Therefore, the strength of the reigning V.League champion cannot be underestimated.
The biggest weakness of the Vietnamese team is the high-profile defense and set pieces. In the second half alone, Kyle Hudlin had at least 5 headed shots and 2 of them were goalscoring. This is also a familiar problem for the team that has needed to compete for many years, from the ASEAN Cup to the World Cup qualifiers.
Tactical analysis: Things to adjust
The team has not had connection in the pressing layers. The striker is often isolated, while the midfield cannot protect the space in front of the penalty area. When Nam Dinh deployed the ball out of bounds and hung it up, the defense could almost only defend actively.
On the other hand, the ability to organize attacks is also limited. The connection between Hoang Duc and the above route is not yet smooth enough. Tien Linh rarely has the ball in a favorable position. Part of the reason comes from the fact that Nam Dinh owns a large pair of tall central defenders but also shows that the Vietnamese team has not found a breakthrough solution.
Player psychology: Challenging but need to overcome
Heavy losses can always affect your psychology. However, the coaching staff emphasized that this was just a closed friendly match, not affecting the rankings or official achievements. For young players, facing foreign players like that is a valuable experience. The team's coaching staff also shared that if we do not face a big challenge, we will not be able to know what we lack to overcome.
Looking forward to the match against Hanoi Police
On September 7, the Vietnam team will continue to play a friendly match with Hanoi Police - an opponent that is considered not to be inferior to Nam Dinh Steel Blue. The Capital team has many players who have played for the national team such as Tran Dinh Trong, Phan Van Duc and Nguyen Filip. In addition, the foreign players are also extremely good with names like Leo Artur, Alan or Hugo Gomes.
The upcoming match will be an opportunity for the coaching staff to review more personnel, experiment with the coordination between young players and pillars, and adjust tactical plans after the recent failure.
