Choose name or style?
In the list of 27 players of the Vietnam National Team gathered for FIFA Days in October, in addition to the absence of some players due to injury, coach Kim Sang-sik still named the best current players. The defense has 2 goalkeepers Dang Van Lam and Filip Nguyen, the defense has Que Ngoc Hai and the return of Bui Hoang Viet Anh, the midfield is still Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Do Hung Dung and the attack has Nguyen Tien Linh, Nguyen Van Toan.
However, not all of them have shown their best form in the early stages of the season at LP Bank V.League 2024-2025. Not only that, there are also faces that have not shown themselves during FIFA Days in September.
If the September FIFA Days took place when the 2024-2025 season had not yet started with the domestic tournament, by this time, coach Kim Sang-sik would have had the opportunity to directly watch some matches in the 4 rounds of the V.League. And so, the Korean coach has "picked up" some factors that show good performance. But, the question for Mr. Kim Sang-sik is with only 1 official friendly match with the Indian team (not counting the internal friendly match with the Nam Dinh Steel Club), how will he choose personnel to prepare for the ASEAN Championship at the end of the year?
It is quite unfortunate that the friendly match with Lebanon was canceled because perhaps, Mr. Kim Sang-sik has a clearer personnel plan for the two matches.However, for the remaining match, his choice will also be the answer to the question of choosing names or choosing form.
If he is still confident that he can restore the form of the main stars, of course, that is good news, so that the coaching staff has more solutions for each match.But in return, what if they still cannot perform convincingly?
For example, in the midfield, it can be seen that Hung Dung has "gone down" a lot, Hoang Duc is being affected by the future of the Viettel The Cong club, Quang Hai has also lost his prominence. Will there be opportunities for Chau Ngoc Quang, Nguyen Thai Son or Le Pham Thanh Long, Khuat Van Khang, the names that have performed well in recent times? Similarly, in the attack, Van Toan has not made an impact recently in Nam Dinh, does the 47-year-old coach believe in Nguyen Van Quyet - 33 years old, in good form, or Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Bui Vi Hao?
Experts analyze that new and young factors find it difficult to compete for official positions.
Other decisions
Besides, there are also other difficult choices that Mr. Kim Sang-sik needs to decide soon, partly related to performance. One is the goalkeeper position, where Van Lam and Filip Nguyen compete. Van Lam made serious mistakes at FIFA Days in October and has not played since the First Division has not started, while Filip Nguyen has not won a match with the Vietnamese team. The second is the commanding role in the defense. In theory, Ngoc Hai, at the age of 31, will be the leader with his inherent qualities, but this time, Bui Hoang Viet Anh has returned. These two factors have many things in common, including the role of commanding the defense. Can they adapt if they are placed together?
