Vietnamese football and tactical 'revolutions'

WM's rudimentary tactical diagram

According to some sources, the most popular formation in world football in 1930 was "WM". In England, Arsenal's owner, Herbert Chapman, systematized an experience that had been tested in Scotland and made WM a widely adopted tactic.

The W formation consists of three defenders and two midfielders in the defensive zone, while the M formation consists of two midfielders and three forwards in the attacking line. In modern football, this could be temporarily called a 3-2-2-3 formation. For a long period during the French colonial era, Vietnamese teams used the WM formation, which was maintained throughout the 1950s.

WM tactical diagram. Illustration.

Since its inception, the WM formation has existed for about 30 years worldwide before the changes in football. The Hungarians initiated the change, almost abandoning WM after the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and then the Brazilians transformed WM into a 4-2-4, and WM faded into obscurity.

The formations range from 4-2-4 to 5-3-2.

To disrupt the WM defense and the man-to-man marking tactics, the Hungarians and Brazilians increased their number of defenders from 3 to 4, using a 4-2-4 formation with 4 defenders, 2 central midfielders, and 3 to 4 forwards. The 4-2-4 formation was popular in the 1960s. This formation provided ample space for wing forwards to operate.

By the 1970s, the 4-3-3 formation emerged, with one striker dropping deeper to help control the midfield. The role of the wing forwards also became more versatile, not limited to just delivering crosses. This tactical formation made The Cong FC unrivaled during that period.

According to coach Quang Tung, the common characteristic and also the difference between 4-2-4 and 4-3-3 formations in Vietnamese football during the 1960s/1970s was that the two central defenders did not play in a horizontal line, but rather tended to have one playing a pressing role (accompanying the striker), while the other provided cover and played a free "libero" role in the truest sense.

The unbeatable 4-3-3 formation of The Cong in the 1970s. Photo: Commentator Quang Tung

By the mid-1980s, when Vietnamese football was struggling due to the system and declining quality, the availability of quality midfielders was very limited. The mentality of playing "not to lose," with the 5-3-2 formation, became common. This allowed a defensive midfielder to drop deep to the level of a center-back, man-marking, while still having a "sweeper" center-back. The 5-3-2 also gave wing players more room to maneuver, as they covered a long corridor.

The 5-3-2 formation hasn't seen much progress for a long time, especially in the central defenders, as defensive skills are emphasized while passing ability and participation in playmaking have improved little. During this period, the 4-4-2 formation did appear a few times in the Vietnamese national team, but it was extremely rare and generally unsuccessful.

At the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai (Thailand), in the match against Cambodia which Vietnam won 4-0, because the opponent was weak, coach Weigang kept Manh Cuong and Huu Thang as center-backs, bringing in Chi Bao to replace Anh Dung, who then partnered with Cong Minh to form an attacking pair on the right wing. For the remaining matches at that SEA Games, the 5-3-2 formation remained common.

The golden generation of the Vietnamese national team, with two consecutive silver medals at the 1998 Tiger Cup and the 1999 SEA Games. Photo: VFF

Another instance was in 1998, during the early stages of coach A. Riedl's tenure, preparing for the 1998 Tiger Cup, but it proved unsuitable, forcing a return to the traditional 5-3-2 formation. For Vietnamese football, Coach A. Riedl's 5-3-2 formation was truly perfect at the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei, with Do Khai as the "sweeper" center-back, flanked by Pham Nhu Thuan and Mai Tien Dung as the "tougher" center-backs, keeping a clean sheet until the final match.

The 4-4-2 "revolution"

It's unclear exactly when the 4-4-2 formation originated in world football history, but its golden age was the 1990s. Clubs like AC Milan under Arrigo Sacchi (1987-1991) and Fabio Capello, or Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, used this formation to win dozens of major and minor titles.

This formation optimized the abilities of top strikers and lethal goalscorers in the penalty box, such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Filippo Inzaghi, Van Basten, and Fernando Torres. In modern football, the 4-4-2 formation has been modified in many ways, including 4-2-2-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-1-2, or 4-1-3-2.

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

The Vietnam U23 team at the LG Cup in 2003 and the 22nd SEA Games. Photo: Provided by the team.

The coach from Nghe An province was one of four Vietnamese coaches sent by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to attend an advanced training course in South Korea, organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the host country South Korea, and FIFA for outstanding coaches in Asia. Besides theoretical lessons, they practiced and observed nearly 10 matches at the 2002 World Cup. There, FIFA instructors discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the 5-3-2 formation that Asian teams were using.

After returning to Vietnam, Coach Thanh Vinh was assigned the interim role of leading the Vietnam U23 team from September 2002. Through three friendly matches against Japanese and Korean clubs (with scores of 0-0, 1-1, and 0-0) to prepare for the 2004 Asian Cup Qualifiers and the 22nd SEA Games, the Vietnam U23 team (representing the national team) had become proficient in the 4-4-2 formation. This change received strong support from foreign experts working at the VFF and the Vietnam U19 team at that time.

Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh boldly implemented the 4-4-2 formation for the Vietnam U23 team (national team) when he temporarily took charge of the team. Graphic: TK

In June 2003, when coach Alfred Riedl returned to lead the Vietnamese national team and U23 team, when coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh mentioned that the U23 team was training using a 4-4-2 formation, Riedl exclaimed: "If the U23 team played with a 4-4-2 formation, that would be great!" This was because Riedl had previously been criticized for not abandoning the 5-3-2 formation, a half-hearted approach. After returning to take over, Coach Riedl almost entirely maintained the framework that his assistant had built.

According to coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, one of the reasons he abandoned the old 5-3-2 formation (3-5-2 in attack) was because it demanded quite high quality from each player. Besides good physical fitness, the three central defenders needed to be tall, have good individual technique, and especially the wing-backs needed to be able to operate smoothly. And with the 4-4-2 formation, attacking is the best form of defense.

The first tournament where the team practiced the 4-4-2 formation was at the LG Cup 2003 in Ho Chi Minh City in August. The Vietnam U23 team achieved initial success by winning 3-2 against Kookmin FC of South Korea in a dramatic final that lasted nearly 120 minutes. Prior to this, Vietnamese teams had reached the final three times in the last four editions of the tournament, but all ended in defeat.

The Vietnam U23 team that won the LG Cup in 2003. Graphic: TK

This was also the tournament where the central defensive pairing of Huy Hoang (attacking) and Nhu Thanh (sweeper) played impressively. While Huy Hoang became the best player in the final match, Nhu Thanh was also recognized as a center-back with a highly technical, intelligent, and effective playing style, and notably, he rarely committed fouls.

With this lineup, the Vietnam U23 team played exceptionally well at the 22nd SEA Games but could only win the silver medal because they were without key players like Nhu Thanh and Quoc Vuong in the final against Thailand (Van Quyen scored the goal that made it 1-2). However, the 22nd SEA Games was not the ultimate limit that the 4-4-2 formation could offer.

The peak of the 4-4-2 formation in Vietnamese football at that time was in the second leg of the 2004 Asian Cup Qualifiers in October. After consecutive defeats in the first leg due to poor physical preparation, the Vietnam U23 team caused a sensation with a 1-0 victory over South Korea thanks to a goal from Van Quyen, and went on to beat Nepal 2-0 before losing 0-2 to Oman.

The starting lineup for the 4-4-2 formation in the second leg of the 2008 AFF Cup final against Thailand. Graphic: TK

That victory truly stunned Asian football because the South Korean team at that time was one of the "big four" of world football. And the Vietnamese team at that time was actually the U23 Vietnam team with players who had previously performed successfully at the 2003 LG Cup, representing the national team.

From then on, the 4-4-2 formation was consistently used by successive head coaches of the Vietnamese national team. Using the 4-4-2 formation, the Vietnamese team achieved success 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 and then coach Huu Thang, the formation underwent some changes to 4-4-1-1 or 4-1-4-1.

3-4-3 formation “Made in Vietnam”

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

Coach Park's decision to abandon the four-defender formation in favor of a three-defender formation has raised some doubts. Very few clubs and national teams in the world still use this formation due to its strictness, demanding personnel requirements, physical exertion, and complex operation. Chelsea under coach Antonio Conte is a rare example of a club that used a 3-4-3 formation.

However, in reality, this tactic helps the team achieve a very solid and flexible defensive system. If a full-back goes forward to participate in the attack and hasn't had time to retreat, the opposite full-back will drop deep, combining with the two central midfielders, ensuring six players in the defense in a 3-4-3 formation. When attacking, if a full-back (Trong Hoang or Van Hau) pushes forward, the Vietnamese team has six attacking players.

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

The M-150 Cup was the tournament where the Vietnam U23 team tentatively played with the new formation, defeating Thailand 2-1 in the third-place match with a brace from Cong Phuong. The 3-4-3 formation has also helped the national teams win many titles and glorious victories over the past two years. At the SEA Games 30, coach Park Hang-seo modified the 3-4-3 formation into 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 depending on the situation.

Under coach Park, the Vietnam U23 team often performed very well against their rival Thailand, but at the senior national team level, Vietnam has never once defeated Thailand in official matches. And the 2019 King's Cup was one of the rare tournaments where we managed to overcome the Thais.

With the urgent need to refresh the attacking line, coach Park Hang-seo will have to make changes in the coming period 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 South Korean coach.

Coach Park Hang-seo and his assistants are discussing plans to upgrade the Vietnamese national team's tactics. Photo: VFF

Looking at Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even their opponent UAE in Group G of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, all these opponents are sticking with the 4-2-3-1 formation, the most optimal and arguably most popular tactic in world football at this stage. This formation also has two central midfielders positioned in front of the defense, but always features four players in the attacking line.

Up to this point, with what has been achieved, Coach Park Hang-seo's bold changes have been the most successful revolution. This revolution's success is due not only to the efforts of the South Korean coach but also to the fact that Vietnamese football currently possesses a generation of players who are relatively well-rounded in terms of physique, fitness, and technique.

Coach Park Hang-seo reveals many surprising things about Vietnamese football.

(Baonghean.vn) - In a book recounting Coach Park Hang-seo's experiences working in Vietnam, the South Korean coach revealed that the first thing he did when he took over the Vietnamese national team was to change the players' eating habits.