The problem of the attack
Xuan Son's return to the Vietnam national team is meaningful, in which coach Kim Sang-sik can find a solution to the home team's attack problem.
In the 10 months that this striker was absent, the Vietnamese team won 4 and lost 1. However, except for the 5-0 victory over Laos in March 2025, all 4 remaining matches witnessed problems in the "Golden Star Warriors"' opportunity conversion stage.
Most recently, coach Kim Sang-sik's students only defeated the Nepal team thanks to an own goal from the opponent.
With 11 goals scored by the Vietnamese team, the top scorer was defender Nguyen Van Vi with 3 goals. In second place is midfielder Nguyen Hai Long with 2 goals, who is not a striker.
On the contrary, Nguyen Tien Linh has only scored 1 goal in the last 5 matches. Mr. Kim Sang-sik's statement that he could replace Xuan Son during the naturalized striker treatment period for injury has not become a reality.
However, it is possible that Xuan Son's return before the match against Laos will solve the problem from Tien Linh himself.
At first, this seemed contradictory, because the theory showed that both of these strikers had to compete for the "head striker" position of the Vietnam national team. But in reality, based on the ASEAN Cup 2024, Tien Linh really benefited from having Xuan Son on the side.
Waiting for Tien Linh to explode
The journey to the Southeast Asian Championship at the end of last year of the Vietnamese team did not see Tien Linh and Xuan Son step on each other. On the contrary, these two players helped each other shine through each match.
It is undeniable that at one point, one of the two strikers had to sit on the bench, but every time they entered the field, they created the necessary efficiency in the victories of the home team, both individually and in pairs.
In that tournament, Xuan Son had 7 goals and 2 assists. Tien Linh also had the most successful ASEAN Cup tournament to date, with 5 times sending the ball into the opponent's net and 2 assists.
It is worth mentioning that Tien Linh's mark on Xuan Son's goals and vice versa is very strong. It can be a direct pass or a shoe imprint at the tactical stage to help the partner have the opportunity to face the opponent's goal. This clearly shows the reasonable use of players from coach Kim Sang-sik, when ensuring that the two "firecrackers" of the Vietnamese team complete their tasks effectively.
Mr. Le Minh Dung - former assistant of the Vietnam team, was impressed by the good coordination between Xuan Son and Tien Linh.
"As I said before the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Xuan Son brought many things to Tien Linh from his playing style. In Nam Dinh, this player played wide. Therefore, in many matches in the national team, Son has supported Tien Linh well when playing with 2 strikers.
Tien Linh has a strong point in finishing in the penalty area. Xuan Son is good at moving wide, pressing, making walls and participating in the ball deployment. Obviously, with Xuan Son, midfielders or wingers will have an additional connection point.
While waiting for Xuan Son to keep the ball and rotate, the satellites around will quickly move to suitable spaces to receive a pass, whether it is a drop shot down the sideline, or a return step for the second line to run up. Both directly and indirectly, Tien Linh can benefit from Xuan Son's support," said Mr. Dung.
Besides the professional story, an element that Tien Linh is waiting for in Xuan Son is in the psychological aspect. His return helps Tien Linh reduce the pressure of "loading the train" on the Vietnamese team's attack. That is not to mention, the attention from the opposing defenders will be on Xuan Son when the 28-year-old star appears, and thanks to that, Tien Linh will have more screen time to perform...
