Difficult for Mr. Kim Sang-sik
Coach Kim Sang-sik began to understand the situation of his predecessor Troussier better as the Vietnamese team went through a series of 4 consecutive matches without a win. Public pressure increased when Thailand and Indonesia had good results in friendly tournaments and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The next two months will be a challenging time for the Korean strategist. More than ever, he needs a strong enough force for the Vietnamese team, or at least better than the previous version.
But this did not happen as Mr. Kim Sang-sik wished. On the contrary, the Vietnamese national team is somewhat declining. Good players do not go abroad to play football. Some other players are even absent from the V.League.
Instead of competing in the national championship, Van Lam, Hoang Duc and a series of other players decided to play in the First Division for at least one season.
In their latest statements, Van Lam and Hoang Duc both hope to demonstrate their abilities well to be able to accompany the Vietnamese team at the ASEAN Cup 2024.
But with the competition, experience and level of play in the First Division being much lower than the V.League, what basis do Hoang Duc or Van Lam have to expect to be chosen by coach Kim Sang-sik?
On the contrary, Mr. Kim also fell into a difficult situation. Hoang Duc and Van Lam are familiar names of the Vietnamese team. Therefore, their relegation to the First Division made Mr. Kim worried and questioned their performance and level.
Looking from the reality of Vietnam team
In the last 3 training sessions (June, September and October), coach Kim Sang-sik called up a number of players who had just moved from V.League to the First Division. They were Dinh Thanh Binh (June, September), Dang Van Lam (June, September, October), and Nguyen Quoc Viet (October).
The change in the way Mr. Kim uses these players is also very noticeable.
In June, Dinh Thanh Binh (then playing for Hoang Anh Gia Lai) was on the field in both matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when Vietnam played the Philippines and Iraq. However, in the September training session, Thanh Binh was called up but only sat on the bench in the matches between Vietnam and Russia and Thailand.
Similarly, Dang Van Lam (when he was playing for Binh Dinh) was given the opportunity by Mr. Kim to play in the matches between Vietnam and the Philippines and Russia. However, in the most recent match against India, the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper sat on the bench for Nguyen Filip.
As for Nguyen Quoc Viet, he is a new player that Mr. Kim called up to practice. In the match against India, the striker from Hai Phong was not allowed to enter the field, but was a substitute for another young player, Bui Vi Hao.
Another story is related to Cong Phuong. This striker returned to Vietnam and chose a new destination, Binh Phuoc Club - a team in the First Division. But the chance of the striker born in 1995 returning to the Vietnam national team is still very uncertain.
In the end, coach Kim Sang-sik will hardly risk choosing players who are playing in the First Division to warm up the core of the Vietnamese team. They may still be present in the national team, but the role of "main character" of Hoang Duc and Van Lam will be more or less "shaken" if they do not achieve the good form as when playing in the V.League.
