Not an easy choice
Throughout the period before the ASEAN Cup 2026, coach Kim Sang-sik tried to optimize the attack-oriented squad. There, behind Do Hoang Hen, Nguyen Xuan Son or Nguyen Dinh Bac is always Nguyen Quang Hai. The team actually scored many goals against Yongin FC, Siheung FC, Gangwon FC (friendly) or Myanmar or Timor Leste (group stage).
In addition to the result aspect, the coordination between Quang Hai and Hoang Hen in swapping positions and approaching the goal on the right flank is very good. A typical example is the 7-0 victory over Timor Leste. Facing the weakest opponent in the tournament, the demarcation of roles and operating areas for the spearheads from coach Kim Sang-sik is quite clear, reasonable and effective.
When facing a stronger opponent, the attack-oriented formation of the Vietnamese team revealed limitations. Against Singapore, the team could not control the midfield; and when facing Indonesia, Mr. Kim Sang-sik had to use Le Pham Thanh Long as a "sweeper" to increase the ability to compete.
Invisibly, Mr. Kim cannot reserve space for strikers. Hoang Hen, Xuan Son, Quang Hai are forced to sit on the bench in the last two matches of the group stage against Indonesia or Cambodia, in order to create a greater balance between defense and attack.
Entering the semi-finals against Malaysia, the coaching staff of the Vietnamese team could not risk prioritizing the striker line. The scenario of Quang Hai, Hoang Hen, Tai Loc, Dinh Bac, Xuan Son simultaneously appearing in the starting lineup is very unlikely to happen. Especially, looking at coach Kim's way of using players against Indonesia and Cambodia, Quang Hai and Hoang Hen can hardly accompany each other for a long period of the match. Because the style and playing style of these two players currently have many similarities.
Mr. Kim Sang-sik's decision
Quang Hai and Hoang Hen have the ability to feel space, handle the ball well, maneuver narrow space and finish stably. They are ready to create short and medium-range passes directing the ball towards the penalty area, opening up opportunities for "spearheads" like Xuan Son and Dinh Bac to approach the goal.
However, the limitation of both is fitness. Hoang Hen is not a strong player in high-level competitions. Meanwhile, despite trying very hard to mark and put pressure on the opponent's defenders, limited stature and endurance still made Quang Hai lose ground in the long-range defense task that the Vietnamese team entrusted to the forward line.
It is not that coach Kim Sang-sik did not create conditions for Quang Hai and Hoang Hen to start together in the squad. However, to ensure a balance between attacking and defensive capabilities in all 3 lines, it is necessary to have one of the two or even both names mentioned above sit on the bench. For example, in the 3-0 victory over Indonesia, the best time for the Vietnamese team was when Hoang Hen and Quang Hai were warming up on the sidelines.
More than 2 years leading the Vietnamese national team, coach Kim Sang-sik has faced difficult choices like the above problem.
At ASEAN Cup 2024, he was forced to choose between goalkeeper Nguyen Filip or Nguyen Dinh Trieu to start. In the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, the determination of the central midfielder combination between Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Xuan Bac, and Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong once worried him and his colleagues.
A similar story takes place at ASEAN Cup 2026, with the "compare chopsticks, choose flagpoles" revolving around Le Pham Thanh Long, Nguyen Quang Hai or Nguyen Hoang Duc. Now, when a suitable central midfielder duo is found, placing trust in the striker position is enough to make coach Kim Sang-sik think.
Anyway, this also shows that the squad depth is sufficiently seasoned and competitive that the Vietnamese team possesses. At that time, each player who enters the field tries to show themselves in order to affirm their position in the eyes of the Korean coach. On the opponent's side, it is not easy for Malaysia to study the current squad of the Vietnamese team, because even the insiders only know what task they will start and receive in the tactical training session just a few hours before the match...
