Vietnam U22 Team: Success or failure depends on the goalkeeper?

(Baonghean.vn) - It is said that the goalkeeper accounts for 50% of the team's strength. Is that true for the U22 Vietnam team at this time?

The weakest link

To prepare for the U23 Asian qualifiers and especially the 29th SEA Games taking place this August, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang has summoned the goalkeepers who are considered the best in Vietnamese football at the U22 age group, including: Minh Long, Sy Huy (Hanoi FC), Tien Dung (FLC Thanh Hoa), Van Truong (HAGL).

The four players mentioned above, there is no need to argue about their talent, but their performance and mentality are what makes experts and fans feel uneasy and uneasy. Because at the club level, these goalkeepers only play a reserve role. Apart from goalkeeper Minh Long who was only allowed to play 180 minutes (2 matches) for Hanoi FC, Sy Huy, Tien Dung and Van Truong have not been in the goal this season.

Goalkeeper Minh Long has only been a reserve player at Hanoi FC all this time. Photo: Internet

In other positions (center back, midfielder, striker), playing more or less often does not affect the mentality and performance too much. However, the goalkeeper position is the place that is under the most pressure, greatly affecting the overall performance of the team. A small mistake by the "goalkeeper" will make the team pay a very high price.

There is a saying, “practice makes perfect”. No matter how talented a person is, if they do not play regularly, they run the risk of fading away. Therefore, the fact that all four goalkeepers of the U22 Vietnam team have to spend their days on the bench at the club level is a matter of great concern.

During more than a month of training and matches at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the coaching staff of the Vietnam U22 team had to work extremely hard to help the goalkeepers achieve the highest mental state and performance at the 29th SEA Games. Thus, the goalkeeper position is the weakest link of the Vietnam U22 team in this training session.

Voices from the past

In modern football, the role of the goalkeeper is extremely important, contributing to the success or failure of each team. The Vietnamese football teams themselves (Vietnam National Team, Vietnam U23, Vietnam U19...) have had to "regret" many times because of mistakes from the "goalkeeper".

Not to mention, in the second leg of the AFF Cup 2016 semi-final between Vietnam and Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium, goalkeeper Nguyen Manh was sent off by the referee after hitting an opponent. The uncontrolled action of the goalkeeper from Nghe An was one of the reasons why Vietnam left the tournament in bitterness.

Before Nguyen Manh was goalkeeper Tan Truong. In the first leg of the AFF Cup 2010 semi-final between Vietnam and Malaysia in Malaysia, the goalkeeper from Dong Thap played the role of "sinner" in both goals conceded by his team. Thanks to the 2-0 victory from the lucky shots of striker Safee, Malaysia went straight to the AFF Cup 2010 championship.

The situation where goalkeeper Tan Truong made a mistake in Safee's (Malaysia) opening goal. Photo: Internet

Furthermore, in the 1998 Tiger Cup final (the predecessor of the AFF Cup) between Vietnam and Singapore at Hang Day Stadium, goalkeeper Tien Anh made an unreasonable move, allowing defender Sasikuma to score the only goal of the match. This was considered the most bitter defeat in the history of Vietnamese football.

And coincidentally, the most successful tournament of the Vietnam national team, the 2008 AFF Cup, was associated with the excellence of the goalkeeper. Nearly 9 years ago, the Vietnam national team, under the leadership of coach Calisto, overcame strong opponents such as Singapore and Thailand to win the AFF Cup for the first time.

In that tournament, in addition to the excellence of Cong Vinh, Viet Thang, Minh Phuong, Vu Phong, Nhu Thanh... were the brilliant performances of goalkeeper Duong Hong Son. With his excellent performance in goal, the goalkeeper born in 1982 contributed greatly to the championship that the Vietnamese team won. Duong Hong Son was awarded the title of "best player of the tournament" by the AFF Cup 2008 Organizing Committee.

Through the above brief evidence, we all see one thing very clearly: The failures and successes of Vietnamese football over the past two decades are directly related to the performance and talent of the goalkeepers. Therefore, where the U22 Vietnam team will go at the 29th SEA Games depends largely on the excellence of the "goalkeeper" that Coach Nguyen Huu Thang has placed his trust in./.

Thanh Hung