At Viet Tri Stadium, the Vietnam National Team will meet the Myanmar National Team in the final match of Group B of the ASEAN Championship 2024, with the mission of winning a ticket to the semi-finals as the group leader. In theory, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team only need 1 point (a draw), but experts and fans want more.
“Better” is not simply a number (3 points is better than 1 point), but should lie in the story of the journey to get those points. To be clear, it is the performance of the whole team.
The difference compared to the past 3 matches is the appearance of Xuan Son, a naturalized player eligible to wear the Vietnam National Team shirt from this match. It is not too much to say that coach Kim Sang-sik is the one who is looking forward to this the most at the moment. Then there are his teammates...
Because, in the previous 3 matches, it was not difficult to see the deadlock and lack of ideas in the way the "Golden Star Warriors" deployed their game. The consecutive (ineffective) crosses were understood as preparation for the presence of the 1m86 tall Brazilian striker.
It will be an important solution for the attacking front of the Vietnam National Team to solve the finishing problem and increase the number of goals. With what the 27-year-old striker has shown in the V. League, we can confidently talk about the guarantee. However, how long will that last?
In other words, does Mr. Kim Sang-sik consider Xuan Son as the only option? And do his teammates think the same? That is the reason to say, having Xuan Son makes him both happy and worried.
As happy as I said, I am worried that if Xuan Son is the only option, then in a short time, the "play" will be "learned by heart" by the opponents. And while Mr. Kim Sang-sik will not lead the Vietnam team forever, the more worrying thing is the domestic players. If they also consider their new teammates as the only salvation, a mentality of dependence will gradually form.
Is that too much of a worry? Looking back at the V.League over the years - it's still the same - then worrying now is not too early, not too late, not too much. In a way, Xuan Son's presence should be a boost, a motivation for the domestic players to develop themselves, to meet the level of their teammates instead of defaulting in their minds that "Xuan Son will do everything"...
When there are “many Xuan Sons” it’s different. But it’s still a long way off…
