V. League and the open and closed doors for young players

With what has been shown in the technique of U23 Vietnam, extending the contract with new coach Gong Oh-kyun is inevitable, because this is closely related to the renewal process to improve the level of the Vietnam National Team led by Mr. Park Hang-seo.

But the “fate” of the U23 Vietnam players when V. League 1 and 2 this year returns next July is something that cannot be easily predicted? Why is that?

In fact, in the current U23 Vietnam squad, only 3 players have ever had a chance to play in the V. League, including Van Toan, Viet Anh and Thanh Binh. The rest were loaned out for training, such as Minh Binh and Tuan Tai in V. League 2. Even rising stars Van Truong and Van Khang only play casually with the U19 team...

No one can guarantee that, after playing well in U23 Vietnam, all of them will have a place to play in V. League when returning to their home team. A reserve position still seems too difficult for Danh Trung or Manh Dung at Viettel, Minh Binh when returning to Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Van Chuan at Hanoi FC...

U23 Vietnam in the match against U23 Thailand. Photo: Archive

Meanwhile, there is another reality that is happening: many young factors, although eliminated in the final round atU23 Vietnambut are quite certain of a place in V. League like players Van Lam, Van Viet, Sy Hoang... at Song Lam Nghe An.

It is difficult to say that these potential players still have a chance when Mr. Gong Oh-kyun continues to lead U23 Vietnam, but if they play really well in V. League, the opportunity is completely open to be called up to the Vietnam National Team in the near future.

To see that, when domestic tournaments take place, opportunities continue to be divided equally for all players and everyone must accept the cruel elimination rule of sports in general, football in particular, in the process of movement and advancement.

Once again, reality shows that the new coach Gong Oh-kyun of U23 Vietnam always has the right and necessary perspective to pave the way for his students that, "forget what happened in the recent 2022 U23 Asian Cup finals and need to focus on work at the club".

Because more than anyone, he understands that the philosophy of playing football at the club and the national team are completely different, the goals are different, so the ways of doing things and methods are different. And to maximize their abilities in those different environments, conditions, and circumstances, the players must follow different training plans and operating methods from different teachers, although they all aim for the same goal for the club as well as the national team.

In general, in clubs, people first of all aim for safety, avoid taking risks, experiment, only seek immediate, urgent goals. Veteran coach Phan Thanh Hung, when he was in charge of Quang Ninh, would have found it difficult to be accepted when he put young player Hai Long on the field, if not for the injury of veteran midfielder Hai Huy.

Not only Viettel but also the entire V.League buys foreign strikers for the purpose of scoring goals, then surely Manh Dung or Danh Trung, then Van Tung, Minh Binh... will only be "supporting actors" in the team that trained them and the regular task is to patiently wait for the right time.

U23 Vietnam in a training session. Photo: Archive

At Song Lam Nghe An, this story is different because the team is poor and it is not easy to buy many top foreign players, so the trust of domestic players has become a tradition. Since then, the most potential young players have always been promoted to the first team very early, from the time of Van Quyen and Cong Vinh to Xuan Tien, Van Cuong, Van Bach today...

The problem is that currently, the young talents of Song Lam Nghe An are not in the sights of Korean coaches, even though they are always trusted at the club, is there a remarkable "channeling" between them?

Xuan Tien of Song Lam Nghe An and Van Truong of Hanoi have the same starting point, but Xuan Tien revealed his talent earlier, from the U15 and U17 stages, while Van Truong only appeared at U19 but immediately caught the eye of new coach Gong Oh-kyun.

Van Truong is very trusted in a difficult position in the midfield of U23 Vietnam and this player has played well, full of potential in the front. Meanwhile, Xuan Tien has not shown a prominent role in U19.Lam River Nghe AnAs expected, even though he was promoted to the first team of Song Lam Nghe An, he still could not become an irreplaceable pillar...

To see that, Mr. Park Hang-seo as well as Mr. Gong Oh-kyun have their own convincing arguments when choosing talents and reality shows the foresight of those who hold the responsibility of raising the level of Vietnamese football.

The “paths and steps” of the teams as well as the players are generally clear, distinct and always highly competitive. The main thing is that the opportunity once again opens up for those who are ambitious, patient and determined to strive. And V. League 1, 2 is the playground for them to freely express themselves, the most important database to “recommend” excellent factors to a new level.