The Vietnamese national team and the 'test' from Russia and Thailand.
After the two matches against the Philippines and Iraq, coach Kim Sang Sik will have the opportunity to reunite with his players in the upcoming friendly matches against Russia and Thailand during the FIFA Days in September at My Dinh Stadium. This is an ideal opportunity for the South Korean coach to achieve many of the goals he has been planning since taking over the national team.
Since June 12th, the date when the Vietnamese national team lost their final match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to Iraq, coach Kim Sang Sik has only been able to meet with his players at V-League matches. The South Korean coach visits stadiums to monitor the players' performance and assess the situation in order to prepare for the team's upcoming plans.
At this moment, Vietnamese fans are probably eagerly awaiting the return of Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team. The lack of any training camps for the past two months can be considered a disadvantage for the South Korean coach. The Vietnamese national team has lost a lot after the unsuccessful journey under Coach Troussier, and missing out on FIFA Days is also a regrettable loss for Vietnamese football fans.
The matches against Thailand and especially Russia in September will therefore resolve many issues for both coach Kim Sang Sik and Vietnamese fans. The coach, born in 1976, will use this time to assess the form of his players. Most clubs are currently training intensely to prepare their players physically for the 2024/25 season.
For his part, coach Kim Sang Sik will make the most of this time to experiment with new ideas. After what was considered a "honeymoon period" with two matches against the Philippines and Iraq in June this year, coach Kim Sang Sik can now make bold changes.
Back in June, coach Kim Sang Sik began his tenure in a very safe manner. Most of the players called up were seasoned veterans. At that time, coach Kim Sang Sik was also comfortable taking on the job because the Vietnamese national team had not been successful under coach Troussier.
However, some argue that coach Kim Sang Sik almost "copied" the ideas of his former mentor, Park Hang-seo, in his first stint leading the Vietnamese national team. This is because coach Kim Sang Sik sought advice from coach Park Hang-seo, who had previously achieved great success with the Vietnamese national team. And coach Park Hang-seo understands his former team better than anyone else.
The match against the Russian national team, scheduled for September 5th, can be seen as the start of the journey to conquer the 2024 AFF Cup. "The Russian Bears" are not an easy opponent for the Vietnamese national team to face in a friendly match. Being of a much higher caliber, the visiting team will provide motivation for Coach Kim Sang Sik's players to strive for self-improvement. It has been a long time since Vietnamese football has had a high-quality friendly match during a FIFA Days period.
Vietnamese fans are also eagerly awaiting the two friendly matches at My Dinh Stadium next month to see the Vietnamese national team under coach Kim Sang Sik. After a long period of perhaps only working on paper and developing ideas, Kim Sang Sik can now force his players to change according to his vision. Compared to his predecessors Park Hang-seo and Philippe Troussier, Coach Kim Sang Sik also wants to prove himself through a Vietnamese national team with many ideas and a cohesive playing style.
Coach Kim Sang Sik may take a risk and experiment with different lineups in September. Despite facing strong opponents, the Vietnamese team doesn't have much time to make changes under the South Korean coach. For years, the Vietnamese team has largely stuck with a 3-4-3 formation, which isn't Coach Kim Sang Sik's preferred system.
The 48-year-old coach previously achieved success at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors with a more modern and attacking 4-2-3-1 formation. And Vietnamese fans are hoping that Kim Sang Sik will bring that fresh approach to the Vietnamese national team.
Furthermore, coach Kim Sang Sik may have to boldly try out more young players, integrating them into the national team in the near future. Coach Kim Sang Sik must refresh his squad as many veterans have declined in form or need a competitive boost to improve.
The two matches against Russia and Thailand will serve as a warm-up for the 2024 AFF Cup. While they may only be friendly matches, they will affect the team's ranking because these two games fall within "FIFA Days". Furthermore, positive results will boost the morale of Coach Kim Sang Sik's team as they aim to conquer the 2024 AFF Cup.
After enduring many painful experiences in the past, the Vietnamese national team has high expectations that coach Kim Sang Sik can create a new impetus for Vietnamese football. Matches against higher-ranked opponents in the FIFA rankings, such as Russia and Thailand, will be an inspiration for coach Kim Sang Sik and his team to look optimistically towards the future.
In a year where Vietnamese youth football has been disappointing with numerous failures in regional tournaments, this task for coach Kim Sang Sik is not easy. This may also be the reason why the South Korean coach will be assembling the Vietnam U23 team in the coming days to assess the form of the young players.
