After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnam team will have 2 matches during the FIFA Days in March - a friendly match with the Cambodian team and a trip to the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup with the Lao team. The 7 goals scored are quite a positive statistic.
Temporarily not talking about the performance or winning way of the "Golden Star Warriors", many people noticed that, in the 7 goals, none of them belonged to the strikers. There will certainly be a return of concerns for the team when Xuan Son is absent - who contributed 7/21 goals of the team (accounting for 1/3) at the ASEAN Cup 2024.
FIFA Days in March, coach Kim Sang-sik called up 4 strikers, with Tien Linh used for 135 minutes, Tuan Hai for 54 minutes, Thanh Binh for 7 minutes (excluding extra time) and Vi Hao not playing. Of course, the biggest disappointment is towards Tien Linh - the reigning Ballon d'Or Vietnam, especially when both opponents are at the "bottom" compared to the Vietnam team.
Tien Linh himself also scored 1 goal against the Laos team in the ASEAN Cup group stage, but why didn't the striker from Becamex Binh Duong club play well in the last 2 matches? In fact, it is not about performance, because in the V.League, he still scored quite well. So, due to the pressure from the new title? Or is it due to the mentality that even when teammates try to " stuff" the ball, they cannot concretize it into a goal?
Not only Tien Linh, Tuan Hai also admitted to being disappointed with their own performance, but sometimes, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's tactics are part of the reason? The Korean coach once expressed confidence that Tien Linh "will replace Xuan Son well", but in reality, it proved the opposite. The current strategy can help defenders and midfielders participate in attack, have space to score, but Tien Linh has too little, while he cannot "make it yourself, eat it yourself" like Xuan Son...
Barcelona have gone through a period of not playing with a striker, relying heavily on midfielders, but cannot compare with them, with such very high-quality players. Therefore, a solution from Mr. Kim Sang-sik is needed for Tien Linh and the strikers, because they cannot rely forever on Van Vi - the player who scored 3 goals/2 matches, Hai Long - 2 goals/2 matches, when facing stronger opponents in more important matches.
