Some progressive young factors
After 6 months of preparation for the ASEAN Cup 2024, coach Kim Sang-sik has exceeded his expectations. Not only did he help the Vietnamese team reach the finals of the tournament as assigned by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the Korean coach also led his players to the championship with the most impressive achievement in history - 7 wins and 1 draw.
After half a year of observation and evaluation, plus the pressure of performance targets, Mr. Kim did not call up many players under 23 years old. Only Khuat Van Khang, Tran Trung Kien and Bui Vi Hao were the three young talents registered to participate in the tournament. The rest such as Dinh Bac, Van Truong, Thai Son, Tuan Tai were not in the plan of the Vietnam National Team.
Among the three young players participating in the ASEAN Cup 2024, goalkeeper Trung Kien could have been given the opportunity to play in the final group stage match against Myanmar. Unfortunately, the 1-1 draw with the Philippines meant that the “Golden Star Warriors” could not be sure of advancing, and Mr. Kim had to withdraw his plan to use this goalkeeper - who does not have much experience and cannot withstand the pressure of international competition.
Meanwhile, Van Khang and Vi Hao were given the opportunity to play. Van Khang started 3 times and came off the bench 1 time. Although his contribution was not significant, the statistics showed that coach Kim Sang-sik was not "extreme" with a player who was still "inexperienced" and often made mistakes like Van Khang.
Vi Hao had an advantage when playing 6/8 matches of the Vietnam National Team. In 375 minutes on the field, the striker born in 2003 scored 1 goal, had 1 assist and 1 powerful pass creating opportunities for his teammates.
Start a new journey
After winning the Southeast Asian championship, assistant Choi Won-kwon explained why the Vietnamese team rarely used young players in the tournament. He admitted that the short time in each training session did not allow the coaching staff to take risks with players with little international experience. In addition, the goal of reaching the final match forced coach Kim Sang-sik to emphasize safety in the selection of players. Because, if they stopped at the semi-finals, Mr. Kim's position in the Vietnamese team could be shaken violently.
The Korean coach himself also gave the reason why Mr. Philippe Troussier failed in the Vietnam National Team. That was the hasty generational transition and the high frequency of using young players, causing the national team's results to not reach expectations.
However, up to now, coach Kim Sang-sik has been able to relieve some pressure. The success of the ASEAN Cup championship has given him more confidence, and at the same time, he has gained the trust of the Vietnam Football Federation, experts and fans. More importantly, Mr. Kim has already thought about the next plan in 2025. In addition to building the force for the Vietnam National Team, the preparation process for the 2025 SEA Games needs to be carried out seriously with the goal of winning back the Gold Medal.
Vi Hao, Van Khang, Trung Kien will be the core players of the Vietnam U22 or Vietnam U23 team (depending on the decision of host country Thailand for men's football) at SEA Games 33.
In addition, Mr. Kim Sang-sik also has a list of players who are qualified in terms of age and potential to participate in the Southeast Asian Games.
In his latest statement, Mr. Kim said that he will give more opportunities to young players: “I will try to find more new names by going to the stadium to watch V.League and testing them in training sessions. The role of young players is always very important. They are the future of the team.”
The time from now until the SEA Games takes place is about 11 months. Interspersed in training sessions throughout the year, young players will be gradually given opportunities when Vietnam competes in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
