The Vietnam team closed the first training session in 2025 with positive results. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won 2-1 against Cambodia in an international friendly match and defeated Laos 5-0 in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
In terms of playing style, compared to the match against Cambodia, the Vietnamese team operated more smoothly and caused more pressure against Laos, with clear attacking moves and good coordination between positions in the squad.
However, it is a problem to recognize that the 7 goals of the Vietnamese team came from midfielders and defenders Hai Long, Van Vi, Ngoc Quang, Quang Hai. Meanwhile, the strikers of Tien Linh, Tuan Hai and Vi Hao are almost "calm". This also makes fans worried about the upcoming journey.
Talking to Lao Dong, football expert Phan Anh Tu said: "Without Xuan Son, the Vietnamese national team's strikers lacked an independent player to handle situations, turning small moves into big opportunities.
On the other hand, without Son, we have a line of strikers and midfielders who play well together, are highly collective, and know how to share the fire with each other.
Tien Linh can approach well, and can play with one touch and shoot. But when he needs a solo breakthrough, this player cannot be equal to Xuan Son. In addition, around Tien Linh there are many good satellites such as Hai Long, Tuan Hai, Ngoc Quang, Van Vi - who have good access to the goal, and can catch the second span very well".
Mr. Tu added: "Without an excellent striker, the way the Vietnamese team plays at the moment is the high performance of the midfield.
The match against Laos clearly demonstrated the plans and attacking nuances of the Vietnamese team, mostly taking advantage of long balls, passing behind the opponent's defenders for the midfielders to rush in, quite successfully.
However, that is also an option that the opponent can read. Therefore, when meeting other opponents, the Vietnamese team certainly needs to improve their attacking and coordinating playing style. If he only passed long balls, it would be easy to get caught."
In the context that the strikers of the Vietnamese team have not been able to " Shoot", fans think it is difficult to find a replacement for Xuan Son at this time.
Expert Phan Anh Tu said: "It is very difficult to say that, because in football, anyone can replace him. International football is the same, there are important players who, when injured, have to accept and are forced to find different playing options.
Typically, the Argentina team, if they had Messi, would have played explosively, but without this star, they could still have defeated Brazil.
However, I need to emphasize that Xuan Son is an extremely important player for the Vietnam team. To solve the match, we need to do many tasks.
When there are stars like Xuan Son, the task will be simplified. But if we cannot have their services, we force other locations to coordinate and implement and become more connected".
