Vietnam U23 plays attacking football, why not?

With such a short time between the end of the SEA Games in late May and the start of the U23 Asian Championship in early June 2022, will the new coach have enough "ingredients to make something of it"? The answer is no, because Vietnamese football has long risen to prominence thanks to its well-developed defensive-counterattacking style, as opponents have always viewed us as the underdog. Now, with Coach Gong Oh-kyun changing to an attacking style, playing fast, fluid, and proactive, will this surprise the opponents? Or will we run into walls, unable to penetrate them, and suffer the counter-attacks—a harsh reality of football, a fate we know but still have to endure?

Not to mention their opponents in this final round are U23 South Korea, a real powerhouse in the continent; and U23 Thailand and U23 Malaysia, teams that just narrowly lost to Park Hang-seo's side, now brimming with fighting spirit to face them again.Vietnam U23To pay off a debt that was hard to swallow just a few weeks ago?

Vietnam U23 created a series of opportunities towards the opponent's goal. With more accuracy, Tien Linh could have opened the scoring for the red-shirted team in the 19th minute. (Photo: Archival image)

Innovation and change are always demanding requirements for any team to progress, but stability, personality, quality, and the "DNA" of success are always behind the success of those teams. Coach Park Hang-seo's team's success is primarily due to a solid defense that didn't concede a single goal throughout an entire SEA Games, and this has been passed on intact to the new coach. This is a significant advantage, and it's difficult to say that the new coach should change or innovate when this team has a solid foundation and has overcome many challenges.

However, when a team prioritizes attack, meaning the defense pushes higher and is more willing to penetrate the opponent's penalty area, the demands placed on the defense become higher and more difficult. Therefore, the defensive cover and coordination against counter-attacks must be more flexible, more thorough, and require more energy.

Regarding the midfield and forward lines, there is discussion about the new coach's decision to use the attacking 4-3-3 formation mentioned above, which is not something easily mastered or perfected within a few weeks of training and friendly matches.

Whether the three midfielders play horizontally or in any other way, this is undoubtedly the hottest area of ​​every match, consuming a lot of energy from players like Hoang Anh, Cong Den, and Quang Nho, as predicted by some experts. This is also where opponents will immediately counter-strategize, making just a few adjustments to concentrate a large number of players to stifle the playing space of the three opposing players, disrupt and starve the forwards, stifle any movement or transition from the outset, and neutralize any possible attacking direction… Certainly, matches against U23 South Korea or U23 Thailand, with their large number of "Thai expats," will give us a burning and anxious feeling about how U23 Vietnam will attack and be ready to engage in a counter-attack against a strong, top-class opponent in the region and continent.

Vietnam U23 faced many difficulties against Timor Leste U23. Photo: Bao Long

But to be honest, all the worries and concerns mentioned above are still just… theoretical about the Vietnam U23 team under coach Gong Oh-kyun. Only when the Vietnam U23 team demonstrates their playing style in reality and sees the results will we be able to recognize and offer some praise or criticism. Moreover, even in the long run, if the Vietnam U23 team doesn't achieve good results in this AFC U23 Championship, it's not a disaster that needs to be rebuilt. Instead, we should see it as valuable and practical lessons, giving us hope for the necessary and essential changes in Vietnamese youth football today.

Therefore, let's wholeheartedly support all approaches to help Vietnamese football gradually reach new heights, not confined to success at the SEA Games or any youth tournament, but thinking further ahead, experimenting more, and challenging ourselves to diversify our identity, enrich our character, and build the "DNA" of success for Vietnamese football.