Why was Khac Ngoc not called up to the national team by coach Park Hang-seo?

The head coach of the Vietnam national team has called up midfielders Nguyen Quang Hai, Pham Duc Huy, Do Hung Dung (Hanoi), Nguyen Tuan Anh, Luong Xuan Truong, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy (HAGL), Nguyen Huy Hung (Quang Nam), Nguyen Duc Chien, Nguyen Trong Hoang, Nguyen Hoang Duc (Viettel), Ly Cong Hoang Anh (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), Phan Van Duc (SLNA).

Among the above mentioned faces, Duc Huy, Hung Dung, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Huy Hung and even Hoang Duc are players who can play in the central midfield position. The fact that Khac Ngoc is not on the list is a surprise to many people.

In fact, Khac Ngoc's high performance after 11 matches in V.League 2020 is indisputable. He played all 11 matches, 940 minutes on the field and scored 2 goals, 4 assists. In total, Khac Ngoc had 8/13 shots on target.

Khac Ngoc's Instat statistics after 11 matches for Viettel. Graphics: TK

For a central midfielder supporting the attack, that achievement is extremely impressive. Khac Ngoc's contribution to the gameplay and second place on the rankings of Viettel is very large. However, compared to the 6 central midfielders called, Khac Ngoc is at a much greater disadvantage.

First, names like Hung Dung and Tuan Anh are completely sure of their place and are even key players in the hands of coach Park Hang-seo. They have learned the tactics and playing style of the national team for many years. But Khac Ngoc has not, he has only played 1 match under coach Park Hang-seo.

In other statistics, Khac Ngoc has an accurate passing rate of 83%, dribbling 42%, every 90 minutes he makes 44/53 accurate passes, 1.75 passes create opportunities, Khac Ngoc's average number of passes into the penalty area is 6, only less than Xuan Truong (8).

Midfielder Do Hung Dung is currently the best attacking central midfielder in V.League 2020. Photo: TK

In terms of tackling ability, Khac Ngoc cannot be compared with other top central midfielders in V.League 2020 such as Hung Dung, Tuan Anh or Mac Hong Quan. Every 90 minutes, Khac Ngoc has 4.4/10 successful tackles. This is a relatively poor statistic.

Although Khac Ngoc's success rate in tackling the ball is up to 61%, for Coach Park Hang-seo and the national team, that is not enough. The playing style that the Korean coach prefers is the ability to compete in the midfield, the ability to defend from a distance and many other indicators.

Among the current central midfielders, Hung Dung is the player with the best ability to recover the ball from a distance. Every 90 minutes, he has 8.2 times to win the ball from the opponent. Tuan Anh's index is also 8.2 and Khac Ngoc has 9.7 times to recover the ball, but 7 times from home field.

Coach Park Hang-seo gives many opportunities to new recruits. Photo: TK

According to the order of Instat software, Hung Dung is at the top with the indexes after 11 rounds, 2nd is Cong Phuong, 3rd is Hai Long of Quang Ninh, followed by Phan Van Long, Hoang Duc, Hong Quan and Tuan Anh of HAGL. Khac Ngoc is ranked 9th in this list.

Besides Khac Ngoc, Coach Park Hang-seo relied heavily on the players' performance to call them up this time. Besides Khac Ngoc, another name that many people regret is goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh.

Instead, Coach Park Hang-seo named Van Phong of Saigon FC, Van Toan of Saigon FC, Buu Ngoc of HAGL and Van Hoang of SLNA. These are all goalkeepers with relatively impressive performances after 11 rounds of V.League 2020. Of which, Van Hoang and Buu Ngoc are the players with the highest number of saves (11 and 12).

On August 12, FIFA and AFC agreed to postpone the matches of the 2022 World Cup 2nd Qualifying Round. Previously, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Emergency Committee also proposed postponing the 2020 AFF Cup to April 2021.

Midfielder Ho Khac Ngoc and the goal that knocked on the door of the Vietnamese national team

(Baonghean.vn) - 1 goal and 2 shots on target for the home team are enough to describe the excellence of Ho Khac Ngoc in the match between Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh and Viettel, in round 3 of V.League 2020, taking place at Thien Truong Stadium, on June 5.