Give Le Van Phu a chance!

(Baonghean.vn) - From the 2-2 draw in Indonesia, the gaps in the Vietnamese national team's defense system, especially in the central defender pair, were clearly exposed.

To prepare for the AFF Cup 2016, Coach Huu Thang called up 4 central defenders including Ngoc Hai, Minh Tung, Tien Thanh and Dinh Luat. When Ngoc Hai left the field after being injured in the match against Trieu Tien, Minh Tung of Than Quang Ninh was given the opportunity. Next, Tien Thanh was put on the field to play with Dinh Luat in the friendly match against Indonesia, both changes did not create a sense of security for the coaching staff.

Although the Vietnamese team did not lose in these two matches, the two central defenders' ability to cover was not high, Minh Tung and Tien Thanh also did not support the full-backs much when participating in defense. What is even more worrying is that goalkeeper Nguyen Manh, who used to be quite solid in his defense, suddenly "wanted to cry", coming in and out without the necessary confidence because his ability to coordinate with the central defenders lacked coordination.

In that situation, it is likely that Dang Quang Huy of Hai Phong and Bui Tien Dung of Viettel will be called up as additional players. Among them, central defender Bui Tien Dung is highly appreciated by experts. This player was highly trusted by coach Toshiya Miura and is playing quite well for Viettel with the ability to read the game quite well, strong in defending high balls and playing aggressively.

The fact that young center-back Quang Huy, born in 1992, of Hai Phong, was called up to the national team this time was a surprise. In the 2016 season, after a period of loan to XSKT.Can Tho, returning to wear the shirt of the port city team, Quang Huy mainly played as a reserve. His lack of experience and weakness in one-on-one battles with opposing strikers made Quang Huy only the fourth choice for the center-back position of Hai Phong, behind Le Van Phu, Vu Ngoc Thinh and Le Van Sau.

In fact, Quang Huy only played 12 matches, of which only 4 were in the starting lineup. If he was called up to the national team, the 1m78 tall, 68kg player could play as a midfielder when needed, but he could hardly compare to Tien Thanh and Minh Tung.

Naturalized player Le Van Phu (red) (original name is Issifu Ansah) in Hai Phong shirt.

When mentioning Quang Huy, fans once again regret the case of naturalized player Le Van Phu (original name Issifu Ansah) of Hai Phong. The Ghanaian midfielder has been continuously named in the V-League's typical squad in recent seasons, with a simple playing style, good physical strength, alertness and when receiving a card.

“In terms of V-League, I think this is the best central defender in recent years,” Coach Truong Viet Hoang briefly talked about this player. Not only is he a steel shield in front of the goal, when needed, Le Van Phu can also join the attack, especially with his ability to fight in the air, shoot from afar with great power and accuracy.

The only obstacle under Coach Huu Thang is that for many different reasons, no naturalized player has had the honor to wear the national team jersey. When teams in the Southeast Asian region such as Singapore, Malaysia... have used naturalized players, a player with the level and desire to contribute like central defender Le Van Phu really needs to be given the opportunity. Otherwise, Coach Huu Thang's statement "I will call the best players for the national team" will not be convincing. He dared to call Quang Huy, "the reserve of reserves" but did not dare to use a player whose ability and professional level all coaches and fans have great confidence in.

AT