Quality "green army".
As planned, the 2024 LPBank Cup friendly tournament will be held during FIFA Days in September 2024. The tournament attracted the attention of many fans when, in addition to the host team, Vietnam, there were also the participation of two very strong teams, which were the Russian team (ranked 33rd in the world) and Thailand (ranked 33rd in the world). number 1 football in Southeast Asia currently).
Matches of the 2024 international friendly tournament will take place at My Dinh Stadium at 8:00 p.m. on September 5, 7, and 10. Teams compete in a round robin to calculate ranking points.
More specifically, the tournament takes place as the 2024 ASEAN Cup (formerly known as the AFF Cup) is approaching. Among the teams participating in the upcoming friendly tournament, Thailand is the most awaited opponent as this is always the "rivalry" of the "Golden Star Warriors".
Therefore, through the upcoming tournament, the Vietnamese team will have an important momentum, gain experience, improve skills and tactics before competing in ASEAN Cup 2024.
To prepare for the friendly match with Russia and Thailand, the Vietnamese team will gather from August 30 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. Coach Kim Sang-sik plans to summon from 28 to 32 players, then gradually screen them to finalize the force for 2 friendly matches.
After two official matches in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup last June, coach Kim Sang-sik had some time to build the framework and playing style for the Vietnamese team. The Korean military leader also just had another 5-day training session with young Vietnamese U22 players.
Besides the team's pillars such as Tuan Hai, Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Filip, Tien Linh, Quang Hai, Hoang Duc... it is likely that the strategist born in 1976 will summon many newly discovered factors on the field. playing V.League, as well as from the U22 Vietnam team.
Difficulty in force
In the upcoming gathering, Mr. Kim Sang-sik still faces personnel problems when recruiting Vietnam without the best force. A typical case is defender Doan Van Hau whose return date after injury is still unknown. Meanwhile, striker Cong Phuong also did not play much in Japan.
More worryingly, the V.League national championship doesn't start until mid-September, so most teams are allowing their players to practice fasting and maintenance training but have not increased the intensity.
Having little time to concentrate requires coach Kim Sang-sik and his students to make great efforts in rebuilding a new playing style and philosophy since the training session in June.
After parting ways with coach Philippe Troussier, Mr. Kim Sang-sik came to bring a lot of hope to Vietnamese football. Through two official matches in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, it can be seen that the Korean coach is building a Vietnamese team with cohesion, collective spirit, and promoting the certainty of the team. defense, gradually rejuvenating the force, not hastily like his predecessor Troussier.
Coach Masatada Ishii of the Thai team said: "I think the Thai team will bring the strongest squad possible. We don't have much time to focus. To call a player to the team, first Most of all we have to monitor our performance as well as our ability to coordinate with teammates.
In addition, the Thai team's goal is to find new factors, giving them international match experience to test the players' true abilities."
When opponents like Thailand and Russia bring the strongest squad, it will be a quality test for the Vietnamese team. Friendly matches are only truly valuable if Mr. Kim Sang-sik and his team are well prepared in terms of people, performance and playing style.
The Korean military leader is making efforts to help the Vietnamese team do well on the regional playing field, thereby creating momentum for continental and world tournaments. Only with careful preparation can the "Golden Star Warriors" confidently enter the 2024 ASEAN Cup with the goal of winning the championship.
