Missing center-back Van Khanh

(Baonghean.vn) - While the Vietnam U23 team is revealing a series of defensive errors after two friendly matches in Thailand, people are remembering center-back Van Khanh (SLNA). Coach Park Hang Seo also needs to give this center-back a chance to prove himself when the defense is performing erratically.

Currently, center-backs Van Khanh (SLNA) and Dang Ngoc Tuan (SHB.DN) are among the few players who have not yet been fielded by Coach Park.

With a three-center-back formation, players like Duy Mạnh, Đình Trọng, and Văn Hậu are being relied upon, with Duy Mạnh's forte being playing as a central midfielder, and Văn Hậu primarily as a left-back. Both goals conceded by the Vietnam U23 team against Uzbekistan came quite easily.

Given the current problems in the attacking line, it's understandable that Coach Park hasn't given Van Khanh a chance to play yet. (Image: Internet)

In the first half, Duy Mạnh made a clumsy clearance, allowing the opponent to take a close-range shot. In the second half, both U23 Vietnam central defenders failed to mark an Uzbekistan striker, allowing him to comfortably head the ball into the net for a goal.

Testing out attacking options.

Many of our colleagues present at the I-Mobile Stadium believe that Coach Park Hang Seo is prioritizing experimenting with the attacking line. Compared to the match against U23 Myanmar, the U23 Vietnam team made four changes to the starting lineup against Uzbekistan. Goalkeeper Van Hoang, midfielders Anh Tai and Ti Phong, and striker Thanh Binh replaced Tien Dung, Quang Hai, Van Toan, and A Hoang. Even striker Thanh Binh, considered rather slow and lacking in attacking ideas, was patiently brought on by Coach Park until the end of the match.

Coach Khaydarov Ravshan simply instructed his players to play aggressively in the midfield, and playmaker Xuan Truong was completely neutralized. Not only is he weak defensively, but his passing also lacks accuracy and sharpness. That's the biggest worry for Coach Park.

If the young U23 Myanmar players lacked the experience to neutralize the attack, Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, and Van Toan could create chances for each other, especially when Xuan Truong was underperforming. Against Uzbekistan, players like Thanh Binh and Lam Ti Phong hadn't yet found their rhythm, Xuan Truong was tightly marked, and Cong Phuong was starved of the ball. Given the need to address the attacking issues, it's understandable that Coach Park didn't give Van Khanh a chance to play. All six players brought on – Hong Duy, Quang Hai, Thai Quy, A Hoang, Thanh Binh, and Ha Duc Chinh – had the task of breaking the attacking deadlock.

An opportunity for Van Khanh

There are three major issues that Coach Park has yet to resolve. Is a three-defender formation suitable for the Vietnamese players? What position would be best for vice-captain Duy Mạnh? How can midfielder Xuân Trường regain his form?

The key to this is that the entire team must constantly move, not giving the opponent any opportunities to pass the ball. Without pressing the tall and strong Uzbekistan players, the three-man defense will be unable to withstand the attack of an opponent far superior in terms of physical strength and stature. The test against the young Myanmar U23 players did not fully reveal the weaknesses in this formation because the pressure from the opponent was not intense enough.

Van Khanh needs to be given a chance. Photo: Internet

Duy Mạnh is a technically skilled player, even though he was at fault for both goals conceded against Uzbekistan. The question fans are concerned about is whether it's advisable to move Duy Mạnh, a "quality" midfielder, to play center back while Đức Huy hasn't performed well in his central midfield role. This is especially relevant considering Coach Park already has two intelligent center backs in Văn Khánh and Trọng Đại.

It's impossible to say whether Van Khanh is the right choice at this moment until he gets a chance to play, but at least he needs to be given the opportunity. Especially given the current fragile state of the Vietnam U23 defense.

In football, sometimes there are three problems but only one solution, because everything is interconnected. It's possible that Xuan Truong is still unfamiliar with the 3-4-3 formation, but when he returns to playing in a 4-4-1-1 formation, he will be able to showcase his technical skills. Coach Park still has one more match to experiment, and it's very possible that Van Khanh will get a chance!

AT