SLNA midfielder abandoned by coach Park Hang Seo?

(Baonghean) - With what has been happening in the Vietnam U23 team recently, many people think that the chance for Hoang Van Khanh to be used by coach Park Hang Seo is very small.

1. At the M-150 Cup friendly tournament held in Thailand in early December, Hoang Van Khanh was one of the few players of the Vietnam U23 team who did not wear shoes on the field. That made experts and fans ask: Does coach Park Hang Seo not like the type of central defender like Hoang Van Khanh?

Otherwise, why in an experimental tournament like the M-150 Cup, the defender born in 1995 had to sit on the bench, while the Korean strategist sent almost all of his students onto the field?

At the M-150 Cup, Hoang Van Khanh did not play a single minute in the U23 Vietnam team's jersey. Photo: Internet

At first glance, many people feel the injustice in the way Coach Park Hang Seo treats central defender Hoang Van Khanh. However, if we consider the issue carefully, the decision of the strategist from the land of Kim Chi is completely understandable.

The reason why Mr. Park did not use Hoang Van Khanh in the M-150 Cup is because this central defender has just gone through a period of continuous "plowing" in the SLNA shirt. Compared to most of his teammates in the Vietnam U23 team, Hoang Van Khanh (including Pham Xuan Manh) had the shortest rest time before joining the Vietnam U23 team (on November 30, SLNA just finished playing the National Cup final with B.Binh Duong). Therefore, Coach Park Hang Seo did not want to risk using Hoang Van Khanh and Pham Xuan Manh for the tournament which is only a trial. Through what happened in Thailand a few weeks ago, the attack line is the top experimental target of Coach Park Hang Seo.

Therefore, the strategist born in 1959 intentionally let central defender Hoang Van Khanh rest and take advantage of the time to recover his physical strength in the best way for the upcoming journey of the Vietnam U23 team.

2. In the friendly match between the Vietnam U23 team and Ulsan Hyundai Club (2-3) on December 21, Hoang Van Khanh was named in the starting lineup by coach Park Hang Seo. Unfortunately, the SLNA midfielder had a rather disappointing performance during his time on the field.

The first goal conceded by the U23 Vietnam team came from a foul by Hoang Van Khanh on an opposing player right in the penalty area. The second goal was due to the 1995-born central defender not being able to keep up with the acceleration of striker Kim In Sung of Ulsan Hyundai Club. Witnessing the continuous mistakes of his students, coach Park Hang Seo had to take Hoang Van Khanh off at the beginning of the second half. That made fans think of a not-so-bright prospect for Hoang Van Khanh.

Admittedly, the former U19 Vietnam player has lost a lot of points in the eyes of coach Park Hang Seo. However, as a professional coach, coach Park Hang Seo fully understands that what happened to Hoang Van Khanh in the match against Ulsan Hyundai Club is completely normal.

Remember, these are just the first minutes Hoang Van Khanh plays for the Vietnam U23 team under coach Park Hang Seo in an official match. The mistake is not a big deal. Hoang Van Khanh is not the only one who plays badly for the Vietnam U23 team, even players who play regularly such as Do Duy Manh, Tran Dinh Trong, Doan Van Hau... also continuously make elementary mistakes.

Coach Park Hang Seo took Hoang Van Khanh off at the beginning of the second half simply because he wanted to test new factors and new plans. That does not mean that the risk of Hoang Van Khanh being eliminated from the Vietnam U23 team is impossible. Currently, coach Park Hang Seo has many players who play well in the center-back position. In addition to Hoang Van Khanh, there are also Do Duy Manh, Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Le Van Dai, Tran Dinh Trong...

If Hoang Van Khanh does not quickly score points with coach Park Hang Seo, the chance for him and the Vietnam U23 team to participate in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship is smaller than ever.

Thanh Hung