Vietnam National Team: Regrettable Absences

(Baonghean.vn) - On September 19, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang announced the list of 29 players in the Vietnamese team preparing for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016. Many different opinions were expressed after this list.

Within the framework of this article, we would like to list some faces that missed their appointment with the Vietnamese national team in this training session.

Midfielder Nguyen Quang Tinh (XSKT.CT)

I don't know how many times this has happened, every time the list of personnel for the Vietnam National Team is announced, football fans in Nghe An in particular, and football fans across the country in general, feel regret for the absence of midfielder Nguyen Quang Tinh.

Quang Tinh (17) played excellently for Can Tho in the 2016 season.

Under coach Miura, who prioritized players with good physical strength and physique, or simply put, "worker players", it was quite understandable that Nguyen Quang Tinh did not participate. However, since coach Nguyen Huu Thang took over the hot seat in the national team, the player from Do Luong has been regrettably abandoned.

Moving from SLNA to XSKT Can Tho after the 2015 season, this 29-year-old central midfielder still maintains his excellent form with 4 goals and many assists for his teammates. The captain's armband and the leader position in the Tay Do team are the clearest proof of Nguyen Quang Tinh's talent and influence.

Objectively looking at his performance, playing style and personal ethics, the former SLNA captain is fully qualified to wear the Vietnamese national team jersey, at least in the list for this training session.

Striker Nguyen Dinh Bao (Hai Phong)

In V.League 2016, the player from Thanh Chuong is one of the most impressive domestic strikers. Although he is only a backup for the foreign pair Fagan-Stevens, Nguyen Dinh Bao still knows how to shine, bringing satisfaction to coach Truong Viet Hoang and the fans of Hai Phong.

In V.Leauge 2016, Dinh Bao scored 10 goals.

In the early stages of the season, the player born in 1991 was occasionally named in the starting lineup of the Lach Tray home team. But since the Fagan-Stevens duo were suspended for bowing to the referee at Cam Pha Stadium, all the burden of scoring goals for Hai Phong has been entrusted to Le Van Thang and Nguyen Dinh Bao.

Not letting down the trust of coach Truong Viet Hoang, right in the away match of the port city team at Go Dau stadium, Nguyen Dinh Bao scored a double to help the home team beat B. Binh Duong with a score of 3-1. Not stopping there, in the 20th round when Hai Phong hosted HN.T&T at Lach Tray stadium, the "little plane from Nghe An" contributed to the home team's comeback with a valuable goal.

Most recently, in the penultimate round at Tan An Stadium, the former SLNA player scored a hat-trick against the Western team. At the end of V.League 2016, Nguyen Dinh Bao had a total of 10 goals for Hai Phong, something that players like Van Toan (HAGL), Cong Vinh (B.BD), Hoang Dinh Tung (FLC.TH) could not do. Therefore, Nguyen Dinh Bao's absence from the Vietnam national team's training list is quite regrettable.

Center back Hoang Van Khanh (SLNA)

Returning after half a season on loan at XSKT Can Tho, the central defender from Tan Ky has taken a starting position in SLNA's defense. The player born in 1995 was one of the most stable players of the Nghe An team in the last bad season. In the situation where veteran central defender Minh Duc was injured, Manh Hung and Dinh Hoang were also injured for the same reason, Ngoc Hai played erratically... only Hoang Van Khanh, Tran Nguyen Manh, Vo Ngoc Duc are the faces that coach Ngo Quang Truong feels most confident in the defense of the Vinh team.

Hoang Van Khanh was the leader of SLNA's defense in the 2016 season.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Hoang Van Khanh is the leader of SLNA's defense, not famous names like Que Ngoc Hai, Pham Manh Hung... in this year's V.League. Observing the playing style of the player wearing the number 5 shirt, Nghe An fans have seen some of the shadows of Nguyen Huu Thang and Nguyen Huy Hoang in the past.

A brave and determined playing style is the obvious strength of central defender Hoang Van Khanh. After the "scandal" in 2014 when playing for the Vietnam U19 team, Hoang Van Khanh has been making constant efforts to hope to one day wear the national team shirt. The absence of the central defender born in 1995 this time is a pity not only for Hoang Van Khanh himself, but also for Nghe An football fans.

Le Thanh Hung