His success has been recognized and there is no need to say more. Here, from what is related to the Korean strategist, we can ponder a few things about Vietnamese football in the last days of the year.
Safety
After Mr. Park Hang-seo's 5-year period, Vietnamese football has a very clear psychological mark. The successes of the national team, of the U23 team seem to confuse Vietnamese football between "top" and "new normal". Meaning, we have not changed much, but dreams and ambitions are greater. That is the reason for appointing Philippe Troussier, who was fired after 1 year but was... thanked after 2 years.
Troussier changed too strongly, making Vietnamese football overwhelmed. The result was failure, but the first reflex was not to look back at the structure, but to find something to return to the old state. The state of victory. Kim Sang-sik appeared, did it in the right way, according to his wishes, and succeeded. From there, it can be seen that for a long time, Vietnamese football has not been familiar with the so-called "transition period". And it seems also intentionally not accepting it (transition) because it cannot withstand the feeling of failure.
The paradox is that, wanting to maintain success continuously, the way of working in reality does not show that, with the core issue being youth training. Experts are assessing that Vietnamese football has been most successful at the youth level in Southeast Asia for many years, but the factor of good training and efficiency is almost only around a few clubs.
Mr. Park Hang-seo himself also succeeded partly because of training products mainly from some teams. After that generation of players joined the national team (and only took a while to stagnate), the source for succession was somewhat scarce. In the minds of many people, Mr. Park's departure from Vietnamese football was also because he saw problems to affirm that they could not be raised.
Love, intimacy
Why did SEA Games 32 in 2023, U22 Vietnam only won a Bronze Medal with Mr. Troussier, but only 1 and a half years later, at SEA Games 33, with Mr. Kim Sang-sik, it was completely changed to a Gold Medal? A few important factors in the winning squad were once trained by Mr. Troussier. It can also be seen the difference in the views and working methods of the 2 coaches and the reception of Vietnamese football.
Mr. Troussier, from France, with the pressure to change strongly, to raise his level, has applied the philosophy that professional football operates - discipline, strictness, seriousness, and clear distinction between teachers and students, between roles in the collective. Therefore, when he uses many young factors, removes stars (including those in the decline period), the results are really faint. Many people say that players are "shocked" by the new philosophy, but there are also many people who do not believe it.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kim Sang-sik came to the end with 2 main issues in philosophy and style. In an interview with The Korea Times, the 49-year-old coach affirmed that "loyalty and teamwork" is his central philosophy. He emphasized that the team wins with solidarity and sacrifice, not just with individual technique. And in terms of style, he described himself wanting to become a "big brother" with the players - closer to being "father like Park Hang-seo" - because he believes friendly interaction can create a stronger team spirit.
And of course, not forgetting that he taught himself to sing the Vietnamese National Anthem to integrate and "score more points" in the eyes of experts and fans. Here, the comparison between Troussier and Kim Sang-sik is not to affirm right-wrong, but to see that Vietnamese football still lacks many factors in terms of professional work and finding a way to develop.
Tactical identity
Of course, loving does not mean lacking discipline. Kim Sang-sik still has a very Korean, very traditional professional philosophy: Discipline before emotions, system before individuals, small progress but all more important than explosive victories. But, also compared to his predecessor Troussier, even when he was overwhelmingly successful, people still ask, what is the identity that Kim Sang-sik built? The identity is inherently a vague thing for Vietnamese football.
For many years, we have talked a lot about "identity", but we do not really understand what identity is. Defense and counter-attack are suitable for Vietnamese football but are just tactics, not identity. Identity is in any situation, against any opponent, through many generations of players, the team takes the field and plays with a style - like the Barcelona club built on the identity of training players from La Masia.
With Kim Sang-sik, what is often seen is difficulty in the first half, changes in the second half. It is enough for some to compare it to "identity", but just for fun, not serious and should not be considered identity for a long-term vision. And not only from Kim Sang-sik, but many other generations of coaches, one can clearly see a big problem of Vietnamese football: We are too used to waiting for short-term success.
Expectations are always high, so failure in a tournament means crisis. In such an environment, coaches are always put in a position of "must succeed early", otherwise they will be suspected, even eliminated. And because of such impatience, patience becomes a luxury, talking about the World Cup dream as if the ticket will be in hand tomorrow...
Vietnamese football has been heavily influenced by team-level results for many years. Meanwhile, the foundation of every national team lies in the domestic league system, in youth training, in the way clubs operate. Kim Sang-sik cannot change those things, but his way of working is indirectly reminding that the team cannot be a place to patch up all outstanding problems.
A strong team is not where players "transform", but where they correctly show what has been trained for many years. If players join the national team to learn how to move without the ball, understand what pressing is, and get used to high intensity, then it is not the fault of the national team coach. It is the fault of the whole system.
Future
Kim Sang-sik may continue to seek more success, or vice versa, but no matter what, Vietnamese football itself must change. The limitations revealed in the construction process are not due to the coach but because they have existed for a long time. What Vietnamese football really needs at this time is a return to professional logic. Do the right thing before thinking about big things. Create a foundation before talking about the peak.
But is Vietnamese football willing to accept a process that is less flashy, more challenging, and requires patience?
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