Highlights from the familiar hit
Coach Kim Sang-sik officially entered the rotation of leading U23 Vietnam from the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian tournament. It is not difficult to recognize that Mr. Kim uses the mold of building the national team in the process of establishing the framework and tactics for the younger generation of players.
The formation of U23 Vietnam is also 3-4-3. Each position on the field is guaranteed to have at least 2 players of near equivalent quality ready to rotate through each match.
In addition, the way the two teams deploy the ball and attack the opponent's court is similar.
Last year, at the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Mr. Kim Sang-sik found an interesting piece for the Vietnam team. The ball will move from the midfield to the left wing. Based on the speed of the defenders and fronters, the team will approach the opponent's important area, forcing the defenders and midfielders of the opposing team to focus on the left wing.
Also from here, a cross-court pass will be made. The striker on the right wing of the Vietnamese team in a favorable position will receive the ball and threaten the goal.
This option has been practiced quite a lot by the Vietnam team. The high form of some left wingers such as Van Vi, Ngoc Quang, Vi Hao and Hai Long, Quang Hai in the opposite hallway helped Vietnam create line attacks and surprise the opponent.
The above formula was continued to be used by coach Kim Sang-sik for U23 Vietnam, in the 3-0 win over U23 Laos. The opening goal is a typical example.
Phi Hoang and Dinh Bac held the ball on the left wing, attracting the opponent's attention. After that, the U23 Vietnam player made a pass into the penalty area, opening up an opportunity for Van Khang to make a lightning kick that defeated the Lao U23 goalkeeper.
With a ball possession rate of up to 80%, this option is deployed continuously. This is also the reason why U23 Vietnam often had corner kicks on the left wing, when the Lao defender had to block Dinh Bac and Phi Hoang's cross from this hallway.
Unfortunate deduction
Coach Kim Sang-sik knows how to make the most of the national team's strengths for young players to exploit effectively.
However, at the same time, the disadvantage in this playing style has appeared with the current U23 Vietnam team. Two of them are the lack of sharp central attack and the poor quality of the center forward.
Van Truong and Thai Son only ensured the ball's regulation through the two edges, without having any harmful passes to put the strikers in front of the goal. These two players themselves could not create long-range finishing situations that were enough to make it difficult for the Lao U23 goalkeeper.
In addition, similar to the Vietnam national team without Xuan Son, U23 Vietnam strikers such as Viktor Le and Quoc Viet are also passive when given the opportunity. These two "sharpened" players were brought on the field but could not score or assist their teammates.
Former player Quang Long expressed the view that the U23 Vietnam striker needs to confidently move without the ball or dare to break through in front of the opponent's defense. However, what Quoc Viet or Viktor Le did was still too simple and easy to predict.
In the position of often receiving the ball back at the opponent's goal, both often choose the solution of coordinating a one-touch to let the winger crawl into the penalty area, quite awkward and uncreative.
Coach Kim Sang-sik currently has a squad of talented players. He needs to have more diverse and effective options to maximize the potential of U23 Vietnam.
