After just one match, many people said that finally the Vietnamese team had the piece they had been searching for for so long. People talked about the Brazilian striker “doing everything” and really bringing a sense of confidence and peace of mind to his teammates. Witnessing the 27-year-old striker “tormenting” the Myanmar team’s defense, optimism quickly returned, spreading among Vietnamese fans.
How can we not be optimistic when Xuan Son can guarantee goals, chances created, coordination, strength, physical battles, and high-level battles... However, as warned, right after the 1m85 tall striker shone brightly on Viet Tri field, the opponents - first of all the Singapore team - immediately began to research and prepare plans and solutions to prevent him.
The statement of the striker of the Nam Dinh Steel Club about “wanting to score a hat-trick against the Singapore team” made him even more closely watched. And when the data about Xuan Son appeared, it can be affirmed that, that was also the time when the level of danger he created for the opponent began to decrease. Therefore, the question is, does coach Kim Sang-sik have any other options for using Xuan Son, through matches and even within a match?
Will the Korean coach cause a shock by leaving Xuan Son on the bench in the first leg of the ASEAN Championship semi-final at the Singapore team's stadium? Putting away strategic cards when the opponent has the best options is also one of the "tricks" of the coaches. In the case of Xuan Son, perhaps, at the moment when the opponent is most focused on the field, most ready to deal with, not seeing him in the starting lineup could very well create a certain psychological wavering. Moreover, Xuan Son entering the field in the second half of the match will give him a much greater advantage in terms of physical strength.
At this point, saying that might be too cautious, and it might not be necessary to apply it immediately in the match against Singapore, but on the upcoming journey, it needs to be present in coach Kim Sang-sik's calculations.
