Coach Kim Sang-sik maintained a very calm attitude in the press conference room at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand after the Vietnamese team won the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final, thereby becoming the third Southeast Asian champion. Mr. Kim achieved this achievement after only about 6 months in charge of a team that was at its lowest form under his predecessor Philippe Troussier. This is a very remarkable achievement.
The Korean strategist said this is just the beginning, and in the future he will try to bring more success to the Vietnamese team.
"It cannot be denied that Xuan Son's role and influence on the field in this tournament is very large. However, the efforts of coach Kim Sang-sik and his assistant team are very commendable. Right from the training trip in Korea before the tournament, I felt this.
Mr. Kim is a very detailed person, knowing that the ASEAN Cup will last for a long time, he has a plan for each match. Looking back now, I can see that all of Mr. Kim's decisions are very fair and just. Before the tournament, there were some veterans of the team who thought they would be present but were eventually replaced by some young players.
Thanks to that, the team has almost reached its peak performance, the players are all healthy and excited. Mr. Kim can freely rotate and the lineup always has the healthiest 11 players" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Mr. Kim said he was happy but would quickly move on to the final qualifying round of the Asian Cup. The 48-year-old strategist will return to work, looking for new factors for the team to continue the current winning streak.
"I feel that the team's momentum will continue in the coming time. We will have the addition of good players, aiming for a style of play that is both effective and beautiful" - Commentator Quang Huy predicted.
Talking about Tuan Hai's starting lineup in the second leg of the final against Thailand, Mr. Kim shared that it could only be calculated on a match-by-match basis. The 48-year-old strategist encouraged Tuan Hai a lot during training sessions, but the opportunity to play depended on timing. Finally, that timing was the match at Rajamangala. Tuan Hai entered the field, played well, and even scored a goal.
"All of Mr. Kim's calculations are correct. Tuan Hai is a very professional player. Before the tournament, he was injured but persevered and did not give up. After the match with Thailand, Tuan Hai was the highest-rated player on the Vietnamese team. That is a very worthy reward," said commentator Quang Huy.
After the ASEAN Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team will continue with the third qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2026. The team will have a home match against Laos on March 25. After 3 months, the team will have the next match on June 10 against Malaysia on the away field.
