Does Mr. Kim take risks?
Coach Kim Sang-sik brings many surprises in the list of the Vietnamese team in March 2026.
He only called up exactly 23 players to aim for two matches against Bangladesh and Malaysia, instead of calling up 30 people as in previous rounds. This shows that the Korean coach has great confidence in the personnel he chooses.
Notably, for the first time in more than 15 years, the Vietnamese national team has only 2 naturalized players present in the list. The appearance of Nguyen Xuan Son and Do Hoang Hen brings hope in the attacking front.
In addition, the Vietnamese team also welcomes the return of many faces who made impressive achievements for the Vietnamese team in the 2018-2022 period such as Van Hau, Dinh Trong, Viet Anh. They all have achieved form in the colors of Hanoi Police Club, bringing peace of mind to the defense.
However, coach Kim Sang-sik made a risky decision. Accordingly, Le Pham Thanh Long is the only player to play in the anchor midfielder position. With other groups, Mr. Kim has at least 2 options to rotate. However, in the central area of the squad, this coach only places his trust in Thanh Long.
In theory, Duy Manh and Xuan Manh can take on the task of "number 6 midfielder". But in reality, both have not played in this role for a long time. Only filling Thanh Long makes fans surprised by Mr. Kim's team operation and personnel use in the next 2 matches.
Why is it Le Pham Thanh Long?
If we put Le Pham Thanh Long on the scale to compare with Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Duc Chien, then that is the difference in playing style. His height of 1m65 is quite modest, making Thanh Long not a strong player in one-on-one disputes, whether in aerial or close combat.
Average statistics in 14 matches in the V.League further prove that. Jackie Chan has only defeated opponents about 4.5 times when competing for the ball in the midfield area. This is really small compared to other faces in the same position.
However, Thanh Long's outstanding point compared to other number 6 midfielders lies in 2 factors: the ability to regulate from the home field to the opponent's half and the ability to recover the ball.
On average, in each match in the V.League, Thanh Long has won ball possession for his team 8 times. This number is among the highest in the group of anchor midfielders in the V.League this season. This also helps him read situations quickly, move in a reasonable rhythm and feel the space well.
Besides, Thanh Long is quite good at determining positions and distributing the ball to attacking midfielders such as Quang Hai, Stefan Mauk (Hanoi Police) or Hoang Duc (Vietnam national team).
A special detail that makes Jackie Chan outstanding is that he makes no less than 20 passes/match right on the opponent's half, with an accuracy rate of over 90%. This may be the reason why coach Mano Polking chose Jackie Chan instead of placing his trust in Vitao. This factor is also something that Duc Chien - a pure defensive midfielder, cannot do.
With Thanh Long, coach Kim Sang-sik will have a midfielder who is good at controlling space, safe when distributing the ball from his home field to the opponent's field. Thanks to that, the team's play will be continuous, avoiding breaking down in midfield.
Finally, the numbers about Thanh Long's presence on the field from the club to the Vietnamese national team in the last 6 months are enough to affirm the belief of foreign coaches.
For the Vietnamese team alone, in the last 3 matches against Laos and Nepal (2 legs), Thanh Long has been the starter. It is not surprising that in the matches against Bangladesh and Malaysia, the player born in 1996 will continue to be in the starting lineup of the home team.
