Coach Park's strategies regarding Phan Van Duc.

Is this due to Van Duc's poor performance for nearly two-thirds of his time on the field, or does it reflect something else in the head coach's calculations for the crucial matches ahead?

First of all, based on the actual situation on the field and the statement by coach Park Hang-seo in the post-match press conference, the Vietnamese national team that day started with a 3-5-2 formation (some later said a 3-4-3 formation), with the three central defenders being Tien Dung, Ngoc Hai, and Duy Manh. The two winbacks were Hong Duy and Van Thanh. The central midfield pair was Tuan Anh and Quang Hai. Supporting Tien Linh - the highest attacking player - were Van Duc on the left wing and Van Toan on the right wing, as usual.

Vietnam secured another convincing victory in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers for the Asian region. (Photo: Archival image)

In the first half, the Indonesian team simply huddled together, defending densely against Hong Duy and Van Thanh's crosses from the flanks, Vietnam's long balls with Van Toan and Tien Linh as the final recipients, and numerous corner kicks where Quang Hai could only find Tuan Anh from the second line with long-range shots…Phan Van DucIt can be seen that he was tasked, along with Hong Duy, with securing the left flank of the Vietnamese national team, which is the right flank of Indonesia, the starting point for Indonesia's two equalizing goals against their rival Thailand in the previous round.

And of course, Van Duc occasionally drifted inside to combine, "giving space" for Hong Duy to surge forward as seen, but otherwise, he was "doing it himself." Therefore, it wasn't until the 28th minute that Van Duc had the dazzling run in front of the opponent's penalty area that many had been waiting for. He beat the defensive midfielder, dribbled the ball deep down the left wing, and unleashed a powerful shot, forcing the opposing goalkeeper to push the ball away for a corner.

After successively replacing Tuan Anh (35th minute) with Xuan Truong and Van Toan (46th minute) with Cong Phuong, the Vietnamese national team continued to press forward, and Van Duc was allowed to "intensively" operate on the right wing. At this point, a new attacking triangle was formed consisting of Van Duc - Van Thanh - Tien Linh, while the energetic striker Cong Phuong operated on the left wing and attracted a lot of attention from the opponent. This set the stage for a rather beautiful combination in the 50th minute by this trio, only unfortunately Tien Linh's hasty shot went over the crossbar.

Quang Hai and his teammates celebrate a goal. Photo: Quang Thinh

Just three minutes later, when the Indonesian team suddenly forgot their usual defensive tactics that had caused so much trouble for the Vietnamese team, they carelessly pushed forward and were punished by Vietnam's renowned counter-attacking strategy. Hong Duy's brilliant pass into the gap between the opposing center-backs put Tien Linh in a spectacular sprint, and the opening goal came after a powerful shot from the Vietnamese striker.

The match unfolded as follows: Tien Linh scored the opening goal in the 53rd minute, and Van Duc was substituted off in the 61st minute.

The question is why?Coach Park Hang-seoShould we let our favorite player leave the field?

In football, it's common for coaches to patiently wait for key players until around the 60th-65th minute, and if the team is still struggling, they'll substitute them to create a fresh dynamic. Van Duc was substituted at that crucial moment, and it's easy to see the disappointment of the player and fans alike.

Following Vietnam's resounding victory, many still feel sorry for Van Duc because he hasn't been able to show much. Some knowledgeable people believe that Van Duc was "stuck" on the left wing, having to focus mostly on defense and especially on the opponent's tight, aggressive style of play.

Phan Văn Đức is a favorite player of coach Park. (Photo: Archival image)

However, a noteworthy image emerged when Van Duc came onto the field: Coach Park happily embraced his player, showing his satisfaction. Everyone noticed that Van Duc's performance in the 61 minutes he was on the field after a series of absences due to injury was solid. Coach Park Hang-seo's adjustments at the beginning of the second half were necessary; the goal came, quickly relieving the pressure and allowing things to flow more smoothly and into a more rhythmic state...

It can be affirmed that Coach Park's decision to substitute Phan Van Duc in the recent match was a long-term, deliberate strategy. When the match was already decided, keeping the tactics secret and protecting the player's leg was essential.

The upcoming match against Malaysia is considered a crucial game forVietnam national teamThe team must win before even thinking about a draw against the host nation, UAE. In Coach Park's tactics, Phan Van Duc is always a wildcard, capable of creating breakthroughs at any moment. Hopefully, in the upcoming match, the striker from Nghe An will continue to be used and will be a crucial link in the victory of the Golden Star Warriors.