U.22 Vietnam lacks good defenders

In the list of 26 Vietnamese players participating in the AFF Cup 2024, coach Kim Sang-sik only called up 3 players who could join U.22 Vietnam to play in the 33rd SEA Games.

They are goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, midfielder Khuat Van Khang (although he plays on the wing, Van Khang is essentially a midfielder), and striker Bui Vi Hao. The Vietnamese team's defense does not have any U.22 players, from the main players to the reserve players.

Coach Kim Sang-sik chose to trust the central defenders who had made success with coach Park Hang-seo in the period 2018 - 2022. They are Bui Tien Dung (born in 1995), Do Duy Manh, Pham Xuan Manh (1996), Nguyen Thanh Chung (1997), Bui Hoang Viet Anh (1999), Nguyen Thanh Binh (2000). On the two wings, the trusted players including Nguyen Van Vi, Vu Van Thanh (1996) or Truong Tien Anh (1999) are also outside the U.22 group.

The Korean coach trusts veterans in defense for two reasons. First, the group of defenders born between 1995 and 1999 have enough experience and expertise after years of "gathering" in tournaments from Southeast Asia to Asia. Second, more importantly, the young defenders are not yet qualified enough to step into the national team, let alone compete for a place in an official tournament.

The list of U.23 Vietnam participating in the 2024 U.23 Asian Cup has only 13 players of the age to participate in the 33rd SEA Games, including defenders: Le Nguyen Hoang, Ho Van Cuong (SLNA), Nguyen Manh Hung, Nguyen Hong Phuc (The Cong Viettel). Of these, center-back Nguyen Hoang has only played 5 matches (443 minutes), center-back Manh Hung was registered for 2 matches but has not played a single minute. The two right-backs Van Cuong and Hong Phuc have played 372 minutes and 63 minutes respectively. On the left wing, trust is placed in Van Khang with 10 matches since the beginning of the tournament (703 minutes).

Coach Kim Sang-sik still has potential full-backs such as Van Cuong, Van Khang and Hong Phuc. Of these, Van Cuong and Van Khang played in the 2023 U.20 Asian Cup finals, SEA Games 32 and have some experience wearing the national team jersey. These are likely to be the wings of U.22 Vietnam at SEA Games 33.

However, in the center of defense, the central defenders are a "headache" for Mr. Kim. Nguyen Hoang and Manh Hung are still very immature, as shown by the small number of matches at both club and national level. The 19-year-old central defender duo will find it difficult to become a reliable shield for U.22 Vietnam.

Building a house from the foundation

Coach Park Hang-seo once led U.22 Vietnam to win the 30th and 31st SEA Games thanks to an experienced defense, with Thanh Chung, Van Hau, Ngoc Bao, Tan Tai, Thanh Thinh, Tan Sinh (in 2019) or Viet Anh, Thanh Binh (in 2022).

Past achievements show that if the Vietnamese national team or U.22 Vietnam wants to succeed, they must have a solid defensive foundation.

However, "you can't make a team without flour". The golden age of a solid defense has passed, leaving a generational gap that young defenders have not been able to fill. In the V-League at this time, most teams do not assign defensive duties to young players.

The most thoroughly rejuvenated teams like HAGL have just introduced young central defender Pham Ly Duc. The player born in 2003 has played 12 matches for HAGL in the V-League this season, with a total of 1,080 minutes. Notably, Ly Duc has never been substituted in all 12 matches. He plays a well-rounded role in defense, is good at aerial combat and interception. Although he is still inexperienced in judging positions or marking people, this is a "rough diamond" that can be polished.

For SLNA, in addition to young center back Le Nguyen Hoang, this team also has wing back Bui Thanh Duc (played 11 matches, 421 minutes) with skillful feet and center back Phan Van Thanh, although only 19 years old but already 1.82 m tall and has 6 matches in V-League. However, this group of players is still just at the budding stage, completely "empty" of international competition experience, so it is not easy to have a place at SEA Games 33.

Looking more broadly, coach Kim Sang-sik also has young defenders playing in the first division such as Dao Van Chuong and Nguyen Hieu Minh (PVF-CAND) who can also be trusted. In the V-League, central defender Zan Nguyen (1.9 m tall) of Ho Chi Minh City Club has just joined the race. However, to build a solid defense, Mr. Kim needs more time to test and train so that today's "rough gems" can shine in the future.