"The Welder" Park Hang-seo

Given the attention Park Hang-seo is receiving in Vietnamese football, the South Korean press is paying particular attention to the national team's situation. Even SBS – one of South Korea's major television stations – decided to purchase the broadcasting rights for Vietnam's matches in the group stage of the 2018 AFF Cup.

During the warm-up, Nguyen Trong Hoang received special attention from coach Park Hang-seo. (Photo: Trung Kien)

As soon as news of Van Toan's injury broke, the Kookmin Ilbo newspaper reassured the public with insightful analysis. At the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the Vietnam U23 team achieved a historic feat in Changzhou (China). During that tournament, young defender Doan Van Hau suffered a torn thigh muscle after the final group stage match against Syria, forcing the 1999-born player to miss the opportunity to join his teammates in writing a new chapter in continental history.

Coach Park immediately brought Pham Xuan Manh onto the field, and the SLNA defender proved to be a good choice for the left flank of the team. The Vietnam U23 team overcame a series of big names, only accepting defeat against Uzbekistan in the final, convincingly winning the runner-up title at the U23 Asian Championship.

At the 18th Asian Games, 25-year-old central midfielder Do Hung Dung was one of the three players over 23 years old that coach Park Hang-seo trusted to select for the tournament in Indonesia. With his brilliant performance, Hung Dung played a major role in helping the Vietnamese Olympic team reach the Round of 16 of the 18th Asian Games, finishing first in Group D. Unexpectedly, after a collision with a Japanese player, the midfielder broke his big toe, forcing him to sadly leave his teammates and return home after the group stage.

Duc Huy was a name that "filled in the void" and he excelled in the central midfield role. In many matches, the coach brought in Van Quyet and Van Duc to play central midfield, and they met his expectations. The "Park-ball" style of play requires players to be able to play at least two positions so they can fill in when needed.

It seems the curse is coming true: every tournament, the national team loses a key player. After losing defenders and midfielders, this time in the 2018 AFF Cup, we will lose striker Van Toan. In a tournament, if we reach the final, we will play 8 matches, and Van Toan was planned to play from the 4th match onwards to create a surprise.

Van Toan is likely to feature in the second leg of the semi-final. Photo: Internet

It's quite surprising that the HAGL player suffered an injury during a training session, before the final group stage match against Cambodia. With a diagnosis of a torn meniscus in his knee, it seems that the biggest tournament in the region has ended prematurely for the HAGL striker.

However, during the team's final training session before departing for the Philippines, the Vietnamese national team doctor, Tran Anh Tuan, concluded that Van Toan suffered a hamstring injury and a grade 1 meniscal ligament sprain. If his condition improves, Van Toan may be able to participate in the second leg of the semi-final.

Kookmin Ilbo believes that Van Toan's injury is indeed a loss for the Vietnamese national team, but it doesn't pose any real challenge for coach Park Hang-seo. In fact, this is the third tournament where the South Korean coach has faced a shortage of players, but with his talent, he has always handled the situation brilliantly. Even in the group stage of the 2018 AFF Cup, he successfully used Trong Hoang and Van Duc to replace defender Vu Van Thanh.

In Coach Park's philosophy of building a team, no player is irreplaceable. In situations like this, the South Korean strategist always knows how to find appropriate adjustments to replace players who are injured and unable to continue playing.

Coach Park has just impressively introduced Tien Linh in the role of a center forward. He still has the trump card of Ha Duc Chinh and the option of "refreshing" Quang Hai by returning him to his preferred position.