What weaknesses does the Vietnam U23 team need to overcome?

Of course, every medal has its rough edges, and everyone, no matter how talented, inevitably has their "Achilles' heel." Under coach Park Hang-seo, the Vietnamese national team and U23 team have achieved resounding victories at the continental and regional levels, such as in Changzhou, the 3-1 win against neighboring China, and the victory against U23 Thailand at My Dinh Stadium… But alongside these successes, Vietnamese teams have also left behind regrettable moments, or more accurately, moments where their tactics were unfortunately exposed, leaving them helpless against weaker opponents despite not losing. This includes the match between the Vietnamese national team and Indonesia in the AFF Cup 2021 (0-0) and, more recently, the match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Philippines (0-0) in the group stage of the SEA Games 31.

The 2-2 draw against Thailand U23. Photo: archive.

That's when, against opponents with a compact, multi-layered defense, the teams under Coach Park are forced to play out of their strengths, becoming confused, passive, and ultimately helpless, even with a full squad and a burning desire to win. They still have Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, and Hung Dung… but they can't break through the opponent's defense. Their tactics still rely on the mobility of the attacking full-backs, but when the opponent focuses on defending the flanks and preventing these defenders from getting to the touchline to cross the ball or play one-two passes in the middle, it's like running headfirst into a wall. These are truly exhausting matches, resulting in lost points, and demonstrating the almost inherent weaknesses, alongside the well-known and feared strengths, of the teams Coach Park Hang-seo is leading.

People have spoken of Park Hang-seo's "cycle of success" as an inevitability, as the aforementioned weaknesses gradually became more apparent, and opponents learned how to counter them more easily. Thankfully, Park Hang-seo himself recognized this early on, not only through theory but also through practical experience, enabling him to both rebuild and revitalize the Vietnamese national team, and... transfer the U23 Vietnamese team to his trusted compatriot Gong Oh-kyun after the excellent success at the SEA Games 31.

At first glance, Gong Oh-kyun's declaration about practicing an attacking style of play, different from his predecessor, might be mistakenly thought to be the only way to escape the overwhelming shadow of Park Hang-seo, and that the two coaches are from two separate "worlds." However, we then vaguely understand that this is extremely difficult and even harder to accept from fans and experts alike, given that Gong's first continental tournament is far from simple.

However, through the two official matches of the Vietnam U23 team in Group C of the AFC U23 Asian Championship against the two powerhouses Thailand and South Korea, as well as the recent friendly match between the Vietnam national team and Afghanistan, it is clear to everyone that the two South Korean coaches currently in charge of both the Vietnam national team and the U23 team share the same direction and approach for Vietnamese football. That is, to change the playing style to suit the times, build a new philosophy, a new formation, and focus on overcoming existing weaknesses (as we demonstrated above, perhaps?)… to move forward together. And it must be recognized that the Vietnam U23 team and the Vietnam national team are a unified entity, sharing the same approach, playing style, and path to future success.

South Korea U23 were unable to overcome Vietnam U23. Photo: Archival material.

With two draws against strong opponents, creating a buzz not only domestically and in South Korea but also regionally and continentally, the Vietnam U23 team under coach Gong Oh-kyun has shown promising initial signs and sparked much hope for the upcoming matches.

Although the team's "spark" in the past and present still relies on the attacking full-back pair in the new 4-1-4-1 or 4-4-2 formation (Tuan Tai - Van Do or Tien Long), it's clear that the current style of play is more fluid, flexible, and harder to predict. Remember how helpless Van Do was on the left wing after receiving the final pass in the recent match against the Philippines U23 team to see that in the new style of play, Tuan Tai still pushes forward on the left wing to occupy space and provide assists, but with much more freedom and flexibility. These two positions are not as exhausted as before, due to the synchronized movement and mutual support of the entire system. From this, they have the opportunity to fully execute the tactics set by the coach.

Interesting details from the match against the formidable South Korean U23 team prove this. The number one playmaker, Tuan Tai, initially delivered a familiar high pass to Manh Dung, who attempted a classic header but failed. He then patiently tried again with a low, low pass through a crowd of South Korean defenders to the ideal position for Tien Long to finish with an unstoppable shot. And Tien Long, receiving the ball for the first time from Van Khang's high cross from the left wing, controlled it with his chest before taking a shot that was unsuccessful, but when Tuan Tai offered him a second chance, he wouldn't miss. These are striking, both familiar and new aspects of the initial stages of renewal and progress for the Vietnamese U23 team; not everything, but they suggest many things worth waiting for and watching...