The question mark is getting bigger and bigger.
In June 2023, when the Vietnam National Team played a friendly match with the Syria team ranked 92nd in the world at Thien Truong Stadium, fans filled the stadium and formed a national flag in the stands. The 1-0 victory at that time was part of a series of 3 consecutive wins for the Vietnam National Team under coach Philippe Troussier.
In October 2024, also at Thien Truong Stadium, the Vietnam National Team played a friendly match with the Indian National Team, whose FIFA ranking was even lower (126). But in the area where people used to see the red flag with yellow star standing out in the stands, now it is sparse and fragmented, no longer enough to recreate that image. Or maybe, the fans are no longer too keen on that, as their morale is seriously declining.
There was hope for a victory, at least, to have something to hold on to and cling to. But even that was not possible. Somewhere, people said that coach Kim Sang-sik was still looking for the most suitable framework for his tactics - he had never repeated the same starting lineup. There were even jokes that goalkeeper Filip Nguyen was "too unlucky" to not have his first victory with the Vietnam team.
But then, besides the matter of personnel - the best force of Vietnamese football at present is just that, people wonder, what is the specific strategy and style of coach Kim Sang-sik?
There are new elements, including young faces, but it is difficult to see the "teamwork" and "collective" elements in the way the ball is deployed when allowed to impose the game. Similarly, supporting each other in defense is not good, the transition to counterattack is no longer as fast, accurate and effective as before.
The “low lights”
In fact, there was a bright moment. That was when Van Quyet and Quang Hai entered the field in the last 20 minutes. Together, they could have brought home 2 goals, if the goalkeeper and defender of the Indian team had not made excellent saves. Just when hope was found from Van Quyet's performance - and Quang Hai benefited from the fact that they knew each other too well after many years as teammates at the Hanoi club, the 33-year-old striker himself extinguished it.
He bid farewell to his international career and hopes to be just a streak of light before sinking into the night sky…
There is another hope, named Vi Hao. The young player continues to score goals and perform well, but it is not yet possible to say that he is enough to shoulder the responsibility of inspiring the team. Van Vu is also considered a bright spot in terms of dynamism, but has not made a breakthrough yet.
In a team where problems appear even in older players - Ngoc Hai made mistakes, had poor spirit despite having a lot of experience; Dinh Bac left two plays that made people think of the haste of youth - what the Vietnamese team needs is a type of player and role like Van Quyet - a leader, who knows how to attract and play rhythmic football.
Unfortunately, 60 will be Van Quyet's last matches in the Vietnam national team. Will coach Kim Sang-sik convince him to change for the 2024 ASEAN Cup? Maybe, maybe not, but even if Van Quyet changes his mind, Kim Sang-sik still needs more than ideas.
On this point, even when he won the Korean championship with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (mainly inheriting the squad of his predecessor), the 47-year-old coach has never been highly regarded for his ideas. He also turned an attacking team like Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors into chaos, lacking direction, and was criticized for his poor crisis handling skills. And so, the worries - which had not yet subsided, quickly increased...
