U23 Vietnam and the dilemma at SEA Games 31

Scoring performance is a dilemma for U23 Vietnam. In the last 11 matches at the Southeast Asian U23 tournament, the Asian U23 qualifier, the Dubai Cup and a series of friendly matches with South Korea U20 to prepare for the 31st SEA Games, U23 Vietnam There was only 1 match that scored more than 1 goal, which was a 7-0 victory over Singapore U23 – the opponent who lost half of the squad due to the COVID-19 epidemic, was much weaker in terms of class.

In the remaining matches, whether coach Park Hang Seo or Dinh The Nam managed with different schemes, operating methods or people, U23 Vietnam did not score more than 1 goal per game.

Video: U23 Vietnam 1-0 U20 Korea

The less impressive scoring ability of the offensive line comes from both human factors and gameplay. In terms of people, it is clear that the U23 Vietnamese force in general and the strikers in particular are no longer as excellent as at the 30th SEA Games.

In the tournament in the Philippines 3 years ago, coach Park Hang Seo had in the hands of the striker duo Duc Chinh – Tien Linh who played in the national team, rolled through many youth tournaments and was tested in the V-League.

The accumulated experience in tournaments helped Tien Linh and Duc Chinh have a total of 12 goals at the 30th SEA Games, making a great contribution to helping Vietnam U23 win the historic gold medal.

At the moment, Coach Park Hang Seo does not have such high-class strikers. Young strikers such as Vi Hao, Van Dat, Van Tung, Thanh Minh, Xuan Tu have not played regularly in the V-League and have no place in the national team.

In addition to the reason that comes from the stable performance of the seniors or the COVID-19 epidemic that causes the youth tournaments to be frozen, the young players themselves are also lacking in progress in terms of qualifications to win the trust of the coaching staff. training.

Among the young strikers, Van Tung just stopped playing well at the youth levels, Xuan Tu after returning Hanoi FC almost failed to prove their ability, and Thanh Minh and Vi Hao were all strange faces.

The remaining factor affecting the scoring performance is tactics, when the pieces in the hands of Coach Park Hang Seo have not had much time to play well together. To have a successful 30th SEA Games, the striker duo Duc Chinh and Tien Linh have practically been together since the 2015 Southeast Asian U19 Championship.

Through many major tournaments, in addition to accumulating playing experience, the players also have time to understand each other’s kicks. This is especially necessary in short-term tournaments, with a high concentration of competition and training like the SEA Games.

Coach Park Hang Seo hardly waits for players to immediately match in such a pressure tournament. That’s why he called Tien Linh to supplement the striker line.

Both Xuan Tu, Van Tung, Van Dat, Vi Hao or Thanh Minh are entering the fierce competition. No one is sure of the main kick in the attack next to the senior Tien Linh, because so far, no player has really stood out.

Most likely, Coach Park Hang Seo will alternately use players depending on the scheme and context of the match. For example, if U23 Vietnam kicks 3-4-3, fast runners like Xuan Tu and Van Dat will be used. If kicking 3-5-2, Vi Hao and Van Tung have the opportunity to be selected thanks to their ability to kick effectively in the middle.

The training period will help Coach Park Hang Seo fully assess the capacity of the strikers. However, the Korean leader may have many “cards” hidden.

In the 30th SEA Games, U22 Vietnam showed their ability to make good use of both air combat situations and fixed balls to settle the match, with 12/24 goals scored this way. In addition to the striker, U22 Vietnam of 3 years ago had many diverse sources of goals from the midfield (Hung Dung, Hoang Duc) or the defenders (Thanh Chung, Van Hau).

Thanks to the firepower spread evenly in all 3 routes, U22 Vietnam always scored regularly, not letting the opponent catch cards. This may be the move that Coach Park Hang Seo is aiming to improve the scoring stage of the current U23 Vietnam. Hung Dung and Hoang Duc are all sharp in the goal-scoring stage, and in defense, the central defender pair Viet Anh – Thanh Binh all know how to speak up when needed.

If Thanh Binh shines with a header against Japan, Viet Anh has also just scored a super product against Cong An Nhan Dan in the National Cup with a shot from the middle of the field. These are reserve scoring weapons, in case the attack is caught.

U23 Vietnam needs many such solutions, in the context of being carefully studied by opponents at SEA Games 31.