V. League and the story of versatile players

In which, national player Van Thanh scored a double and assisted 1, helping the away team win against the home team who were very thirsty for points and in the most dangerous position of the tournament.

The joy of Hanoi Police in the match against Ho Chi Minh City.

It was not only the joy of Hanoi Police with a series of 2 consecutive wins in rounds 7 and 8 of V-League 1, bringing the team to temporary 3rd place, returning to the championship race, but also brought joy to Mr. Philippe Troussier and the Vietnam National Team before the gathering on FIFA Day next June.

According to Mr. Da Silva Cruz - head coach of Hanoi Police, in the above match, Van Thanh was arranged to play as an attacking midfielder and played extremely well, scoring excellent goals. This is the type of player who can play as a full-back, winger and center, not to mention the new attacking midfielder position mentioned above. Obviously, after the period of "spending all his youth to stay in the league" at Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Van Thanh is promoting the inherent versatility of a player who is well-trained, enthusiastic and dedicated and is able to develop his strengths in a competitive environment with great ambitions like Hanoi Police.

Another story in V-League 2 is related to the new discovery of a versatile player, midfielder Le Van Hung of the Quang Nam team. It is known that in the recent match between Quang Nam and Binh Thuan, the former national champion team was behind but successfully turned the score around with a score of 3-1, including a double from 1m78 tall midfielder Le Van Hung with a header and a tricky shot. Previously, Van Hung scored in the match against Song Lam Nghe An in the National Cup and the match against Hoa Binh at the beginning of the V-League 2.

Thus, after 5 matches, a central defender scored 4 goals, 1 assist, the efficiency of scoring/assistance is no different from a striker, even better than many other real strikers. People have introduced a new element to the Vietnam National Team and Mr. Troussier must definitely pay attention because this is a versatile, effective player that U22 Vietnam as well as the Vietnam National Team will really need in the squad.

Famous coaches like Mr. Park Hang-seo in the past as well as Mr. Troussier now all choose players based on current form, versatility, dedication and players like Van Thanh or Van Hung mentioned above will certainly be prioritized to be called up first, kept until the end. Simply because each tournament usually only allows 20-23 players to register, including reserves. During the competition, injuries, penalty cards, and illnesses always go hand in hand, so adjusting the force is a constant issue. And only versatile players can best handle the requirements set out in the entire match, half, and at each specific time.

Remember recently, when choosing the team for the 32nd SEA Games, Mr. Troussier had to eliminate players who, despite their good form and reputation, could only play one position, such as Duc Viet - central midfielder or Vy Hao - winger. Meanwhile, the coach chose names that few people knew but he was very knowledgeable about, such as Duc Phu or Minh Trong, who played both midfielder and defender when necessary. Previously, Mr. Park Hang-seo used Xuan Manh very effectively in the position of fullback and center-back at the U23 Asian Cup in Changzhou. Now at Song Lam Nghe An, Xuan Manh also alternates between playing central midfielder and winger, when needed, he drops deep to play as a defender or suddenly plays high to develop his aerial weapon. Unfortunately, injuries have caused this versatile player to lose his form when joining the national team, so he is rarely called up after that, although at Song Lam Nghe An he is still an irreplaceable leading pillar.

National team player Ngoc Hai is good at playing as a central defender, but when he is assigned as a holding midfielder, he also plays quite well. The worrying problem for this central defender is that he is playing for a team that lacks ambition and has low competitiveness, while Ngoc Hai is not showing his outstanding role as a leader in front of a team that is exhausted and has an unprecedented low fighting spirit compared to the length of the Vinh team's development. Those are the things that can make Ngoc Hai lose points if the Vietnam National Team enters a new phase with young, energetic and dedicated players.

The famous striker Tien Linh is also currently having difficulties in Binh Duong when he has not scored any goals in the past 8 matches. The difficulty is because Tien Linh is no longer the only one in the home team after Rimario was naturally placed in the right position after being brought in and paid a large salary. Meanwhile, his close partner Van Vu has moved away, making Tien Linh "lonely in his own house". Very talented in the striker position (not thanks to speed or ball control ability), but that is not enough for Tien Linh to play well in the new position when the home team requires. And if based on the current performance criteria, Mr. Troussier will have a headache whether to call or not to call Tien Linh in the near future?

Of course, the story of versatile players is only a part of football and in a team it is difficult to say that everyone plays equally versatile? There must still be specialized positions such as goalkeepers, midfielders, organizers, and talented strikers, who are irreplaceable. But outstanding talent is always "like autumn leaves" combined with the reality of battle experience, so the requirement of versatile play is more important and serious than ever. To see from training to daily combat, coaches and players themselves need to be trained in many different positions, in the way of "being good at one position, knowing how to play many positions" to be ready for every conquest, whether the coach is Park Hang-seo who advocates defensive - counter-attacking play or Philippe Troussier who plays offensive - ball control, which are fundamentally different.