Vietnam national team: 4 matches with 4 different starting lineups?
Competing in Group B of the ASEAN Cup 2024, the Vietnamese national team impressively secured first place with 3 wins and 1 draw, earning 10 points and a goal difference of 11/2. Notably, in those 4 matches, the Vietnamese team fielded 4 different lineups, although they consistently shifted formations from 3-5-2 to 3-4-3.
Is this a testing phase or a way to keep a secret?the Korean coach Kim Sang-sikIt's impossible to say for sure, but it's clear that so far we can't say who the core or strongest lineup of the Vietnamese national team will be.
First of all, in goal, Coach Kim rotated Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Filip, each playing two matches. Dinh Trieu started in an easy match against Laos and a difficult match against Myanmar, while Nguyen Filip started in a truly difficult match against Indonesia and an "easy" match against the Philippines. Many predicted that, following this rotation, Nguyen Filip would start in the first leg of the semi-final against Singapore away from home, but this is not certain. Coach Kim's tactics are not so easy to predict, even though the long ball tactics that Singapore often employs require more skill from a Vietnamese-born player than from the current Hai Phong goalkeeper.
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The Vietnamese national team's three central defenders have seen more changes in their starting lineups over the past four matches: Tien Dung and Thanh Chung started in 3 out of 4 games, Duy Manh and Xuan Manh in 2 out of 4 games, and Thanh Binh in 1 out of 4 games. This shows that the two most trusted players are Thanh Chung and Tien Dung, while Duy Manh and Xuan Manh will be chosen as replacements for the most important match. Thanh Binh and possibly Tan Tai will be reserves available when needed.
The two attacking full-backs who have been capable of both attacking and defending in the last four matches haven't been entirely consistent. Tien Anh, Van Vy, and Van Khang have been in 2 out of 4 matches, while Tan Tai and Van Thanh have been in 1 out of 4 matches. Based on their performances, the opportunity for the Van Vy-Tien Anh pairing is very high, even though Van Thanh hasn't played badly either.
The central midfielders also played depending on the difficulty of the matches. Hoang Duc, Quang Hai, and Ngoc Tan started 3 out of 4 games, Ngoc Quang 1 out of 4 games, and Thanh Long has yet to play. In the attack, Tien Linh and Vy Hao started 2 out of 4 games, while Hai Long, Xuan Son (who was only allowed to play in the first game), and Van Toan each started 1 out of 4 games. With Van Toan injured and out of the tournament, and Xuan Son having a perfect 10 in the match against Myanmar, the national team's attack will be the deadly duo of Xuan Son and Tien Linh; if playing three players, Vy Hao is the most promising name.
Based on the above preliminary statistics, it shows that the Vietnamese national team, whether performing brilliantly in the victory against Myanmar or facing difficulties in the first half of all recent matches, including those against the Philippines and Indonesia, still presents a "difficult question" for opponents to find a way to limit their playing style or to disrupt, overwhelm, or neutralize them as expected.
What concerns and worries many is why the Vietnamese national team doesn't get into top form and perform at their best in the first half of matches, despite having plenty of opportunities. Actually, this isn't new. The training process in South Korea with weaker squads demonstrated this, and the Koreans have already warned us about it. But fixing this isn't something that can be done overnight, as it's a deeply ingrained problem! Of course, Xuan Son's performance in the first half against Myanmar is understandable and relatable. The naturalized striker opened his scoring tally with a brace and an assist, as seen in the match. Hopefully, Xuan Son's contribution will help the Vietnamese national team achieve what experts and fans are hoping for.
The two semi-final matches against Singapore, with the first leg on December 25th being a tough one on artificial turf and the second leg on December 29th at home, will be opportunities for the players to showcase their talent and dedication. Vietnamese football is making a comeback, as coach Kim Sang-sik rightly pointed out, although everything is still up in the air. It's clear that with the high-class striker Xuan Son at the heart of the attack, other players and players will perform with greater confidence and reassurance. If they score early, things will become easier and more favorable. A fresh atmosphere and increased confidence within the team and among the public will give them greater internal strength, allowing them to play more freely and effortlessly.
Of course, it's impossible to say everything is going smoothly, as the next opponent will be tougher, and all the weaknesses, both those already revealed and those yet to be revealed, will gradually come to light. But overall, the Singapore team is not yet a very difficult opponent for Quang Hai and his teammates. If we face difficulties in the first leg, we will focus our efforts on the second leg. The real mountain ahead is still the familiar mountain of Thailand, because as many know, they lost 0-2 away to Singapore but played without rushing or losing spirit, and then, with their class, came back to win convincingly 2-4, as many people know.
It will be difficult, very difficult, against Thailand, but remember that in the four matches with four different starting lineups, coach Kim Sang-sik hasn't revealed all his tactics or military strength as mentioned above? This means there are still secret weapons, ultimate weapons, which could be the unbeatable strength of the Vietnamese national team against regional rivals in this ASEAN Cup?
