Looking for U23 stars in V-League

Coach Park Hang-seo and his colleagues have split up to go to all the football fields in the South and the North to look for talent. There are no new stars yet, the U23 players who once shone in the Asian Finals are sinking in their clubs.

Find sU23 team in V-League at your fingertips

At the start of the 2018 V-League season, experts and fans predict that it will be the time for young players to explode, especially the group of players who played for the U23 Vietnam team at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship.

This is based on the belief that the U23 Vietnam players under the leadership of coach Park Hang-seo have played extremely successfully in the U23 Asian tournament, creating a huge effect in Vietnamese football.

However, after the first 6 rounds of the number 1 tournament in Vietnam, most of the U23 Vietnam players played below their ability, lacking any breakthrough in terms of expertise. Many players were not even trusted by the clubs.

Van Duc is one of the few U23 players who can still maintain his form. Photo: Duc Anh

Mr. Park only has a few players who played in China at the beginning of the year to play in V-League 2018. Some of the names that can be mentioned here are: Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung (FLC Thanh Hoa); midfielder Xuan Truong (HAGL), defender Dinh Trong (Hanoi FC), striker Duc Chinh (SNB Da Nang), Xuan Manh, Van Duc (SLNA).

To be precise, only Dinh Trong, Van Duc and Xuan Manh are still playing at their full potential. If Van Duc has scored 3 goals, Dinh Trong, despite having to sit out due to injury, is still considered one of the best central defenders in V-League 2018 since the beginning of the season.

Xuan Manh is deployed as both defender and midfielder, and up to now he has not scored any goals but is considered to have played his role well. In the context of SLNA lacking stability in personnel, Xuan Manh is assigned the task of filling in the gaps and disrupting the opponent's play rather than scoring goals.

Midfielder Xuan Truong returned to the Mountain City to play the role of conductor. However, the ability to control the match of the player from Tuyen Quang is quite limited. 6 matches with only 7 goals is also partly the fault of this captain. The bright spot is that the midfielder's free kick ability is improving, 2 goals from the free kick spot both showed his class.

Striker Duc Chinh, after 2 good matches, has become unlucky in front of goal. Actually, 2 goals is not too little, the main thing is that this striker has missed too many good opportunities.

Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung has kept a clean sheet in 2/4 matches but still makes many mistakes, directly leading to goals conceded. If he continues to be busy with advertising shows and modeling, the possibility of being the main goalkeeper of Ngoc Lac, Thanh Hoa will become more and more remote. Coach Hoang Thanh Tung is showing that he prioritizes the experience of his senior Thanh Thang.

Disappointment

Apart from the above mentioned group, the players who played for the U23 Vietnam team all sank in the V-League 2018. The most disappointing were Quang Hai, Duc Huy (Hanoi), Cong Phuong, Van Thanh, Van Toan (HAGL) when this midfielder lost his agility and scoring ability. Quang Hai, in the rare time he was in the starting lineup, let the Saigon FC midfield dominate and had to struggle to score an equalizer.

Mr. Park is looking for new elements to add to the composition of the Vietnam Olympic team. Photo: Internet

Van Thanh, Van Toan, and Cong Phuong were more disruptive than effective. The goal from the 11m penalty was perhaps more to relieve Cong Phuong's mental stress after 6 months without scoring in the V-League than to affirm the ability of a young talent on the Vietnamese football field. The complicated playing style of the young HAGL players was quickly caught and neutralized by their seniors.

Waiting for Coach Park to show his talent

Seeing the U23 players play poorly in V-League 2018, Vietnamese fans must be a bit worried.

The backbone of the Vietnam Olympic team is the U23 team and if they continue to play like this, Mr. Park will face many difficulties in building the playing style and force to prepare for the 2018 ASIAD.

Hopefully, with his experienced eyes, Coach Park Hang-seo will find new elements to add to the Vietnam Olympic team.