The brilliance of familiar faces in the team

Among the top scoring midfielders of V-League 2024-2025, up to this point, there are 2 very familiar names: Chau Ngoc Quang (HAGL) and Nguyen Hai Long (Hanoi FC). Each has 4 goals.

With Hai Long, the 4 goals scored show that this player is very stable in terms of performance. Since the AFF Cup 2024 until now, Hai Long has always played excellently for Hanoi FC. Former coach of the Vietnam national team, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, once highly appreciated Hai Long, especially after the time the two above-mentioned characters worked together at Than Quang Ninh Football Club a few years ago. According to Mr. Hung, Hai Long has all the factors including technique and tactical vision to become a leading attacking midfielder in Vietnam like Quang Hai or Hoang Duc. Currently, Hai Long is working hard for that position. At least, this player always knows how to satisfy his coaches, from coach Makodo at Hanoi FC to coach Kim Sang-sik at the Vietnam national team.

Meanwhile, the case of Chau Ngoc Quang scoring many goals at HAGL is quite special. Technical Director (GĐKT) Vu Tien Thanh's team is a weak team in V-League, Chau Ngoc Quang does not receive much support from his teammates around him, but he still scores regularly, proving Ngoc Quang's great efforts.

Compared to before, Chau Ngoc Quang now plays with much more technique and flexibility. The player of the mountain town team is already diligent, enthusiastic, and physically strong, and now has the added element of technique, helping him become more comprehensive and more dangerous in his ability to support attacks.

Factors that can be added to the Asian Cup qualifiers

Unlike Nguyen Hai Long and Chau Ngoc Quang, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa (Binh Duong) and Nguyen Duc Chien (The Cong Viettel) are not on the list of the Vietnamese team that will win the AFF Cup 2024. However, coach Kim Sang-sik can add these two players to the national team in the upcoming training session, preparing for the third qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2027. The most important thing is that Minh Khoa and Duc Chien are currently in very good form, which is a factor that can convince the Korean coach.

Minh Khoa has scored 3 goals since the beginning of V-League 2024-2025 until now, he is currently the leading midfielder of Binh Duong Club. This player has something quite similar to his senior Nguyen Hoang Duc. Minh Khoa also possesses good technique, good observation ability like Hoang Duc. Minh Khoa has the ability to keep the ball, pass the ball, and regulate the play for the whole team.

In addition, Minh Khoa's penetration into the opponent's penalty area is also very dangerous, because he has good finishing skills, very similar to Nguyen Hoang Duc. If Minh Khoa is called up to the Vietnam team, coach Kim Sang-sik will have another person to "share the fire" with Hoang Duc, or at least Mr. Kim will have more personnel to "rotate" the squad and surprise the opponent when needed.

As for Nguyen Duc Chien, the player currently playing for Viettel The Cong Club is becoming more and more proficient in the defensive midfielder position. This is the position that coach Kim Sang-sik tested Duc Chien in last year, when he called Duc Chien up to the Vietnam national team. At that time, Duc Chien was disappointing in the center of midfield.

However, Duc Chien has played better in the above position over time. Originally a central defender, Duc Chien needed time to get used to being placed in the new position of central midfielder. And now, after the final stage of V-League 2023-2024 and the first half of V-League 2024-2025, the midfielder currently playing for The Cong Viettel has that familiarity. Duc Chien has scored 2 goals in V-League 2024-2025, which is not a low number for a defensive midfielder. He made an important contribution in bringing The Cong Viettel to the top of the national championship.

In terms of physique, Duc Chien (1.81 m tall) is also the player with the best physique among the midfielders capable of playing in the defensive midfield position in the current Vietnam national team. That will be another advantage of Duc Chien.