Vietnam national team gathers: What opportunities for Song Lam Nghe An players?

Every time the Vietnam national team is called up, Nghe An fans look forward to seeing which favorite players will be selected.Coach Park Hang-Seodot. Currently after 14 rounds, Song Lam Nghe An is only ranked 5th on the rankings. However, in the Nghe An team's squad, there are clearly still many outstanding individuals that the Korean coach is keeping an eye on.

Center back Que Ngoc Hai. Photo: Trung Kien

* First of all, we can mention the captain of Song Lam Nghe An -Que Ngoc Hai. With his inherent class and stability, this central defender from Dien Chau is always the favorite choice of the Korean coach. The last time Que Ngoc Hai was absent was because he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and was suspended due to receiving 2 yellow cards. It will not be surprising if this 30-year-old central defender will continue to be on coach Park Hang-seo's list in the upcoming training session.

The next person with a high possibility of being selected by the Vietnam national team's coaching staff for this training session is the goalkeeper.Nguyen Van Hoang. He is also one of the best players of Song Lam Nghe An. With 7 clean sheets after 11 matches played, Nguyen Van Hoang is the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in V.League 2022. Along with the stability of Nguyen Manh and the return of Dang Van Lam, the race for the official position in the goal of the Vietnam national team is extremely interesting.

Goalkeeper Nguyen Van Hoang. Photo: Ba Tuan

Despite his excellent performance at club level, the goalkeeper from Tan Ky has yet to play for the national team. Hopefully, against opponents of equal strength such as Singapore and India, goalkeeper Van Hoang will be given the opportunity to play by coach Park Hang-seo.

* Another individual who has also had very good performances recently isPham Xuan Manh.Since being brought into the central midfield by coach Huy Hoang, Xuan Manh has been playing better and better. He is a "discovery" of the Nghe An team this season. With the decline of Xuan Truong and the injury of Hung Dung, if Xuan Manh is present in this training session, he will be a quality addition to the central midfield position. And this will be an opportunity for Manh "Kalou" to score points in the eyes of coach Park as the AFF Cup 2022 tournament is getting closer.

Defender Pham Xuan Manh. Photo: Duc Anh

* The most worrying position in this training session is striker Phan Van Duc. Although he is a favorite student of Coach Park, it seems that Duc "tiger" is showing signs of running out of steam this season. With injuries and not yet recovered physically, Phan Van Duc's position is even more threatened. Especially when players playing in the same position but are increasingly improving like Tuan Hai, Nham Manh Dung. Not to mention some young players on the rise like Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Phi Hoang. If Van Duc cannot improve his performance, it is very likely that this player will not be on the list of players participating in the AFF Cup 2022.

In addition to the above players, some surprising positions in this list are the two full-backs Mai Sy Hoang and Tran Dinh Hoang. With their rhythmic attacking and defending style, this duo has made certain contributions to the overall achievements of Song Lam Nghe An. However, when Doan Van Hau has returned, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, Ho Tan Tai and Vu Van Thanh are still playing stably, it is very difficult for Sy Hoang and Dinh Hoang to be present in this call-up of the Vietnam national team.

Mr. Park once shared:“The door to the national team is always open to any player, and everyone is properly evaluated. It is impossible to tell players how to get into the national team. I choose players with absolutely no connections. I have said many times that the ability to integrate is very important in my selection criteria. There are many other players on the reserve list. I, as well as my assistants, still go to the field every week to closely follow the players' matches. Therefore, there are still opportunities for everyone.”Therefore, every player just needs to try, the door of the National Team is always open. And that is the motivation for all players, not justLam River Nghe Anbut also in other teams trying to develop their full potential.