Vietnamese football and tactical 'revolutions'

WM rudimentary tactical diagram

According to some sources, the popular formation of world football in 1930 was “WM”. In England, Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman systematized an experience that had been tried in Scotland and he made WM a popular tactic.

The W formation is three defenders and two midfielders in the defensive zone, the M formation is two midfielders and three forwards in the offensive line. Modern football can be temporarily called the 3-2-2-3 formation. During a long period of French colonialism, Vietnamese football teams used the WM formation and it was maintained throughout the 50s.

WM tactical diagram. Illustration

Since its inception, the WM formation has existed for about 30 years in the world before the changes of football. The Hungarians initiated the change, almost abandoning the WM from the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and then the Brazilians transformed the WM into 4-2-4, and the WM became a thing of the past.

4-2-4 to 5-3-2 formation

To disrupt the defense in WM and the one-on-one routine, the Hungarians and Brazilians increased from 3 defenders to 4-2-4 with 4 defenders, 2 central midfielders and the number of forwards from 3 to 4. The 4-2-4 was popular in the 60s. This was a formation that gave a lot of room for the wingers to operate.

By the 70s, the 4-3-3 trend appeared with a striker being pulled deeper to support control of the midfield. The role of the wingers was also more versatile, not just stopping at pure crosses. This tactical diagram helped The Cong Club have no rivals during that period.

According to coach Quang Tung, the common feature and also the difference between 4-2-4 and 4-3-3 in Vietnamese football in the period 1960/1970 is the 2 central defenders, they do not play in a horizontal line but often have a tendency for 1 person to play the pressing (marking the center forward), the other person covering the "hanging" is free to play as a true "libero".

The Cong's unrivaled 4-3-3 formation in the 70s. Photo: Commentator Quang Tung

By the mid-80s, when Vietnamese football was struggling due to the mechanism, quality was declining. Having quality midfielders was very limited, the mentality of playing to “not lose” 5-3-2 became popular. That is when a defensive midfielder was pulled down to the same level as the center-back to mark the man as a pair of center-backs, still having a “sweeping” center-back. And 5-3-2 gave more room for the wingers to perform when they controlled a long corridor.

The 5-3-2 formation did not see much progress for a long time, especially in the central defenders, because defensive skills were emphasized while the ability to pass the ball and participate in organizing the game rarely improved. During this period, there were a few times when the Vietnam National Team used 4-4-2, but it was extremely rare and generally not successful.

At the 1995 SEA Games held in Chiang Mai (Thailand), in the match against Cambodia where they won 4-0, because the opponent was weak, coach Weigang kept Manh Cuong - Huu Thang as central defenders, put Chi Bao in to replace central defender Anh Dung, and teamed up with Cong Minh to form an attacking pair on the right wing. In the remaining matches at the SEA Games that year, 5-3-2 was still popular.

The golden generation of the Vietnamese team with 2 consecutive silver medals at Tiger Cup 98 and SEA Games 1999. Photo: VFF

Another time was 1998, the first stage of coach A. Riedl when preparing for the 1998 Tiger Cup but it was not suitable and forced to return to the traditional 5-3-2. For Vietnamese football, coach A. Riedl's 5-3-2 was truly perfect at the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei with the "sweeping" center back Do Khai, flanked by the "crushing" center backs Pham Nhu Thuan - Mai Tien Dung, keeping a clean sheet until the final match.

The 4-4-2 "revolution"

It is unclear exactly when 4-4-2 was formed in the history of world football, but the Golden Age of this advanced formation was in the 1990s. AC Milan under coach Arrigo Sacchi (1987-1991) and Fabio Capello or Manchester United of Sir Alex Ferguson with dozens of big and small titles.

This is the formation that optimizes the ability of the top strikers, the killers in the penalty area of ​​the later period such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Filippo Inzaghi, Van Basten, Fernando Torres... In modern football, the 4-4-2 formation has been varied into 4-2-2-2-, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-1-2 or 4-1-3-2.

Compared to world football, 4-4-2 was officially applied quite late in Vietnam. After coach A. Riedl left the team at the end of 2000, the Vietnam national team continuously had changes on the coaching bench, from coach Dido (2001), Calisto (2002). And the person who boldly applied 4-4-2 to the Vietnam national team was coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh - former head coach of SLNA and assistant to the Vietnam national team at that time.

Vietnam U23 team at LG Cup 2003 and SEA Games 22. Photo: NVCC

The Nghe An coach is one of four Vietnamese coaches sent by the VFF to attend an advanced course in Korea organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, host Korea, and FIFA for outstanding coaches in Asia. In addition to theoretical lessons, they practiced and watched nearly 10 matches at the 2002 World Cup. Here, FIFA lecturers gave advice on the pros and cons of the 5-3-2 that Asian teams are applying.

After returning to Vietnam, Coach Thanh Vinh was assigned to temporarily lead the Vietnam U23 team from September 2002. Through 3 friendly matches against Japanese and Korean clubs (with scores of 0-0, 1-1, 0-0) to prepare for the 2004 Asian Cup Qualifiers and the 22nd SEA Games, the Vietnam U23 team (representing the national team) was trained to master the 4-4-2 formation. This change received high approval from foreign experts working at the VFF and the Vietnam U19 team at that time.

Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh was the one who boldly applied 4-4-2 for U23 Vietnam (National Team) when he temporarily led the team. Graphics: TK

In June 2003, when coach Alfred Riedl returned to lead the national team and U23 Vietnam, when coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh said that the U23 Vietnam team was practicing with a 4-4-2 formation. He exclaimed: "If U23 played with a 4-4-2 formation, it would be great!" Because before that, Mr. Riedl had been criticized for not giving up the 5-3-2, a half-hearted approach. After returning to take over the job, coach Riedl almost kept the same framework that his assistant had built.

According to coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, one of the reasons why he abandoned the old 5-3-2 formation (3-5-2 when attacking) was because this formation required a very strict quality for each player. In addition to having good physical strength, the 3 central defenders must also have good height, good personal skills and especially the full-back position must know how to operate smoothly. And with 4-4-2, attack is the best defense.

The first tournament in which the team practiced 4-4-2 was at the LG Cup 2003 in Ho Chi Minh City in August. Vietnam U23 brought home initial success when they won 3-2 against Korean club Kookmin in a dramatic final match that lasted nearly 120 minutes. Previously, Vietnamese teams had won the right to compete in this Cup 3 times in the last 4 tournaments, but all failed.

Vietnam U23 team in 2003 won the LG Cup in 2003. Graphics: TK

This is also the tournament where the central defender duo Huy Hoang (striker) and Nhu Thanh (slinger) played impressively. If Huy Hoang became the best player of the final match, Nhu Thanh was also considered a central defender with a technical, intelligent, effective playing style and especially rarely made mistakes.

With this lineup, U23 Vietnam played extremely well at SEA Games 22 but could only win the silver medal because they did not have the services of key players like Nhu Thanh and Quoc Vuong in the final match against Thailand (Van Quyen scored the goal and lost 1-2). However, SEA Games 22 is not the maximum limit that the 4-4-2 formation brings.

The peak of 4-4-2 in Vietnamese football at this time was in the second leg of the 2004 Asian Cup Qualifiers in October. After losing the first leg due to poor physical preparation, U23 Vietnam caused a stir with a 1-0 victory over South Korea with a goal by Van Quyen and continued to defeat Nepal 2-0 before losing to Oman 0-2.

Starting lineup 4-4-2 in the second leg of the 2008 AFF Cup final against Thailand. Graphics: TK

That victory really surprised Asian football because the Korean team at that time was the "big four" of world football. And the Vietnamese team at that time was actually the U23 Vietnam team with players who had competed successfully at the LG Cup 2003 before, which was representing the national team.

And since then, the 4-4-2 formation has been applied by all the head coaches of the Vietnam National Team. Also with 4-4-2, the Vietnam National Team competed successfully at the 2007 Asian Cup and won the AFF Cup for the first time in 2008 under coach Calisto. After the time of coach Toshiya Miura to coach Huu Thang, the formation has changed slightly with 4-4-1-1 or 4-1-4-1.

3-4-3 “Made in Vietnam” diagram

At the end of 2017, the Vietnam national team and Vietnam U23 were taken over by coach Park Hang-seo. After a match against Afghanistan in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Korean coach decided to create a revolution by letting Vietnam U23 play with a 3-4-3 formation at the M-150 Cup held in Thailand.

Coach Park's decision to abandon the 4-defender formation and switch to 3-defender formation has caused some skepticism. Very few clubs and teams in the world still use this formation because of its strictness, human requirements, physical exhaustion, and complicated operation. Chelsea under coach Antonio Conte is a rare example of using 3-4-3.

However, in reality, this is a tactic that helps the team have a very solid and flexible defense system. If a fullback goes up to join the attack and has not yet retreated, the opposite fullback will drop deep, combined with 2 central midfielders, 3-4-3 still ensures 6 players in the defense. When attacking, a fullback (Trong Hoang or Van Hau) goes up, the Vietnam team has up to 6 attacking players.

Vietnam U23 squad at the AFC U23 Championship. Photo: VFF

And the M-150 Cup is the tournament where U23 Vietnam took their first steps with a new formation and then defeated Thailand 2-1 in the third place match with a double goal from Cong Phuong. The 3-4-3 formation has also helped the national teams win many titles and glorious victories over the past 2 years. At the 30th SEA Games, 3-4-3 was transformed by coach Park Hang-seo into 3-5-2, 5-3-2 depending on the time.

Under coach Park, U23 Vietnam often has very good results when facing rival Thailand, but at the national team level, the Vietnam team has never defeated Thailand in an official match. And the King's Cup 2019 is a rare tournament where we have surpassed the Thais.

With the urgent need to renew the attack, in the coming time, Coach Park Hang-seo will have to change to have more options when facing teams in Group G - World Cup 2022 Qualifiers and AFF Cup 2020. Options such as 3-4-1-2, 3-1-4-2 or 3-5-1-1 have been prepared by the Korean coach.

Coach Park Hang-seo and his assistants are discussing a plan to upgrade tactics for the Vietnam National Team. Photo: VFF

Looking at Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the UAE in Group G - 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, all of these opponents are loyal to the 4-2-3-1 formation, the most optimal tactic, considered the most popular at this stage of world football. This formation also has 2 central midfielders in front of the defense, but always has 4 players on the attack line.

Up to this point, with what has been achieved, the bold change of Coach Park Hang-seo is the most successful revolution. This revolution is successful not only because of the Korean coach but also because Vietnamese football possesses a generation of players who are relatively comprehensive in terms of physique, physical strength and technique.

Coach Park Hang-seo reveals many surprises about Vietnamese football

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