Vietnam Olympic team: Xuan Truong, Cong Phuong - luxury substitutes.

Coach Park Hang Seo has repeatedly stated that Xuan Truong is an irreplaceable player in the Vietnamese Olympic team, but in Indonesia, Xuan Truong only started 2 out of 4 matches, playing a mere 114 minutes and taking 2 shots at the opponent's goal. The player from Tuyen Quang possesses creative and accurate passes whenever he initiates attacks.

However, compared to the 2018 U23 Asian Championship, Xuan Truong's influence at this year's Asian Games has significantly decreased. Facing opponents who play aggressively and compete fiercely, Xuan Truong's ball-holding ability and long passes were not utilized effectively. Opponents also focused their attacks on the area where Xuan Truong was positioned.

Xuan Truong sacrificed himself.

After the U23 Asian Championship, upon returning to V-League 2018, Xuan Truong did not have a brilliant performance at HAGL but still managed to score 4 goals and provide 6 assists for his team. However, from the Four-Team friendly tournament to the current Asiad 18, Xuan Truong has lost his usual form.

Recently, this player played 65 minutes against Bahrain before being substituted (replaced by Cong Phuong). Truong's impact on the Vietnamese Olympic team's gameplay was quite minimal, with only two shots that lacked power and accuracy.

With two goals scored, Cong Phuong remains an important player for Coach Park.Photo: Internet

Constantly starting in the V-League has significantly depleted the 23-year-old midfielder's stamina. In the Vietnamese Olympic team's playing style, we don't play a defensive counter-attacking game, so there's no "sweeper" in midfield to do the work with Truong. Due to the presence of senior player Van Quyet, who can take on the organizational role, Truong's importance has been greatly reduced.

In the 2018 U23 Asian Championship, Xuan Truong tended to play closer to the opponent's goal to organize attacks, with Duc Huy always ready to contest and take on defensive responsibilities behind him. Currently, however, Coach Park often pairs him with Hung Dung, Van Quyet, and now Quang Hai.

All three players tend to push forward in attack and have better speed than Truong, so they play higher up the field than the midfielder. This means Xuan Truong is forced to drop back and take on defensive duties, which is not a strength of the midfielder from Tuyen Quang.

Not to mention that even Van Duc, when coming on, can participate in creating chances, so the ball doesn't necessarily have to go through Truong's feet as before. When his physical condition is no longer at its peak throughout the 90 minutes of play, the lack of a strong teammate to provide cover in defense significantly affects Truong's playing style.

When physical fitness isn't maintained throughout the 90 minutes, coupled with having to play out of his preferred position, it's understandable that Xuan Truong wasn't used consistently and appeared lackluster in the Vietnamese Olympic team's style of play.

Syria is also a team that plays a high-pressing style and isn't afraid of physical contact. Coach Park Hang Seo will likely prioritize using the central midfield pairing of Quang Hai and Duc Huy. Only when necessary to break the attacking deadlock will the Korean coach bring Xuan Truong to partner with Duc Huy.

This is a strategy we used at the U23 Asian Championship earlier this year, and hopefully it will help the Vietnamese Olympic team overcome Syria.

Luxury Reserve

The duo of Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong are not in good form as the Vietnamese Olympic team opts for a physically demanding, high-pressure style of play. Photo: Internet

In the four matches played so far (three group stage matches and one round of 16 match), Cong Phuong only started in the opening match against Pakistan, which Vietnam won 3-0. He also contributed one goal but missed two penalties. Cong Phuong is better suited to a counter-attacking style of play, where the attacking line needs a player who can control the ball, make breakthroughs, or wait for the second line to move forward.

When Coach Park opted for a pressing style of play, Cong Phuong's somewhat cumbersome dribbling and lack of tackling in the opponent's half were a drawback. Given that the Vietnamese Olympic team has many players capable of performing this role well, such as Van Quyet, Quang Hai, and Van Duc, his opportunities to start have decreased.

For Coach Park, apart from the defense needing stability, the Vietnamese Olympic team lacks a starting lineup. Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong are always indispensable players for the team due to their innate technical skills. But that doesn't mean the two HAGL academy players always occupy starting spots. That's the new aspect of the Vietnamese Olympic team under the "Park Hang-seo version"!

With the exception of goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung, these 10 players are expected to start against Syria. They are the three center-backs Dinh Trong, Duy Manh, and Tien Dung; the two wing-backs Van Thanh and Van Hau; the two central midfielders Duc Huy and Quang Hai; and the attacking trio Van Quyet, Van Duc, and Anh Duc.