Before Nguyen Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team had seen the presence of 4 naturalized players: Phan Van Santos, Huynh Kesley Alves, Dinh Hoang La and Dinh Hoang Max. However, these were short-term training sessions and only played friendly matches. This time, when Xuan Son is called up for an official tournament, it could be a new chapter opened in the history of Vietnamese football.
"Xuan Son has many advantages when he has played in the V.League for a long time, his teammates in the national team are very respectful and familiar, as if they have loved each other from before. With Xuan Son, the attacking front of the Vietnamese national team will be very bright. With him, the strikers and midfielders will be much easier to play.
Coach Kim Sang-sik also benefits a lot from having such an all-rounder in the squad. The star of the Nam Dinh team is a type of striker that we have never had in the history of the national team" - Commentator Quang Huy praised Xuan Son before the start of the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
In the past 3 matches, Mr. Kim has used 25/26 players, except for goalkeeper Trung Kien. This has raised two opposing opinions. Some say that Mr. Kim is creating opportunities for everyone before finding the final lineup to compete in the semi-finals. However, there are also opinions that the Korean strategist is still struggling, not finding a stable framework, especially after the match that almost lost to the Philippines in the 3rd round.
"Coach Kim's tactical actions in the past 3 matches prove that he is waiting for Xuan Son. We see that the team's midfield is still struggling to assemble. Quang Hai plays high in some matches, low in others, and Hoang Duc is sometimes pushed up to play as an attacking midfielder.
The midfield is no exception as Mr. Kim is experimenting a lot to find a fixed framework. In my opinion, we should have a pair of flexible central midfielders. Then there is a midfielder who plays high up the pitch, acting as a trigger for a pair of really good strikers. At the top will be an attacking pair with many complementary points" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
If Vietnam beat the Philippines, the ticket to the semi-finals as the top team in Group B will certainly not slip away. However, the away draw has put coach Kim Sang-sik and his team in a position where they could be eliminated (although the odds are very low). Therefore, this is not the time for Mr. Kim to experiment anymore, especially when he has Xuan Son in the attack.
"In the press conference before the match against Myanmar, Mr. Kim said he would let Xuan Son play and pair up with another striker. In the last training session in the Philippines, Mr. Kim arranged for Xuan Son to pair up with Tien Linh, so I guess these two players will start against Myanmar.
I predict we will play with a 3-4-2-1 formation. In goal is still Nguyen Filip. The three central defenders are Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Thanh Chung and Do Duy Manh. The two midfielders in the midfield area are Doan Ngoc Tan (low) and Nguyen Hoang Duc (high).
On the two wings, I guess Pham Xuan Manh will start on the right, while Nguyen Van Vi will play on the opposite flank. The last person I guess, in the position right behind the two strikers and above Hoang Duc is Nguyen Quang Hai" - Commentator Quang Huy predicted.
