Inter Milan legend Luigi Di Biagio is highly wary of the Vietnam U23 team.
Although coach Kim Sang-sik modestly admitted that Vietnam U23 was the weakest team in Group A, Saudi Arabia U23 coach Luigi Di Biagio highly praised the organization and speed of the Southeast Asian representatives.
Ahead of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship finals, an interesting situation has emerged in Group A, with the biggest rivals showing caution towards the Vietnamese U23 team's standing. At a press conference held on the afternoon of January 5th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, coach Kim Sang-sik adopted a cautious approach, admitting that his team is the weakest contender in the group.
Caution from the renowned Italian strategist
In stark contrast to the modesty of his South Korean counterpart, the head coach of the host team Saudi Arabia, Luigi Di Biagio, showed great respect for the Vietnamese U23 team. The former Inter Milan star revealed that he spent many hours analyzing technical footage of the Vietnamese players' style of play.
"This is a rapidly developing, agile, youthful, and very well-organized team," the Italian strategist commented. He affirmed that the Vietnam U23 team is a truly quality opponent with an exciting playing style. However, to maintain maximum focus on the opening matches against Jordan and Kyrgyzstan, Di Biagio declined to go into specific tactical details about the strategy he would employ against Vietnam.
The class of the coach leading the Saudi Arabia U23 team.
To understand why Di Biagio's praise carries so much weight, one must look at the illustrious resume of this coach born in 1971. During the golden era of Serie A (1995-2005), Di Biagio was an irreplaceable key midfielder for AS Roma and Inter Milan, playing in over 300 domestic league matches.
His experience at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and EURO 2000 helped him remain calm under the pressure of winning on home soil. Although Saudi Arabia's recent friendly matches haven't been ideal, Di Biagio has maintained an optimistic spirit for his players, thanks to the experience of a star who has worked with legendary world coaches.
The opponents in Group A are not taking anything for granted.
Besides the home team, other coaches in the group also unanimously expressed concern about the playing style of Coach Kim Sang-sik's team. Coach Omar Najhi of U23 Jordan praised the modernity and speed in the way U23 Vietnam's formation was implemented.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan U23 coach Edmar De Lacerda – whose team is participating in the continental finals for the first time – admitted that he had thoroughly studied his Southeast Asian opponents. He considers the encounter with Vietnam a valuable opportunity for the Kyrgyzstan players to learn from a team with good technical skills and extensive experience in Asian competitions.
It's clear that, despite coach Kim Sang-sik employing a "hidden" strategy, the prestige gained from past successes and the highly organized playing style still make the Vietnam U23 team a name that all opponents in Group A must pay special attention to.
