What is the future of U23 Vietnam after the Asian Championships?
Vietnam had a chance to set off a new earthquake in the Asian U23 Championship, but the 2-0 loss to Saudi Arabia also reflected the current situation of the team: full of confidence, generosity and youth, but lack of experience and sense of "battlefield". Those qualities give Coach Gong's team the strength to play in their own way, but also because of that they are unable to knock down the experienced, cunning and able to adjust the tempo of the game in Saudi Arabia.
In the first 30 minutes, Saudi players poked their opponents' ankles continuously. This is a game technique. Not too malicious but keeping the Vietnamese midfielder out of possession for long periods of time. Referees, even with VAR's support, can hardly have a basis for drawing cards. Therefore, the initiative of playing and the speed of controlling the ball are still maintained, but the Vietnamese team's attack often stagnates and gradually loses the necessary elegance, creating continuous pressure on the opponent's field.
In a game with little difference in quality, pragmatic and wise teams have a better chance of winning. This was fully reflected in Vietnam's first goal. Starting with the opposing players rushing to midfielder Pei Huang Yueying. If you follow the momentum down, maybe the referee blows the whistle in favor of the first person to occupy the position, the Vietnamese defender. But Yue Ying did not show that he was fouled, but restrained the pain of the game, while Saudi players were lying on the court. So, the referee gave the advantage, and then the goal happened. There is no encouragement for'acting 'or trickery, but in top-flight football there is something beyond regular expertise. A ball that should have prevailed, U23 Vietnam accidentally threw it away, resulting in distraction.
Before that goal, Vietnam played their best 40 minutes since the start of the game, and it was this kind of football that made fans happy with the revolutionary changes Coach Gong created on what was considered bad, far exceeding the 2018 generation. Vietnam's scoring chances doubled and the high press was almost perfect, forcing the Saudis to constantly transform inaccurate flanks. But when Vietnam were not cold enough in the closing stages and Leon Lai Ming Ping's shot lacked a bit of luck, the opponent's age caused the difference. The game was decided from then on, from the choice of two teams.
The opponent added three players to play for the national team. At the beginning of Vietnam, only four players started in the V League at the club level, the other three players played in the First Division, and two players were 19 years old this year. This team can't be compared with U23 Vietnam, which participated in the Asian finals in 2018 and 2020, let alone Saudi Arabia, the leading football background on the African continent. Eight players in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship squad played at least 30 or more V-League games, compared to less than 100 in total in the last quarter-final.
In 2018, midfielder Dinh Trong was called "Western Hunter" in V League in Hanoi jersey. This group of HAGL players has played V League for four seasons, and Pan Wende quickly became the mainstay after returning to SLNA. Viet Anh is now unlikely to be selected to replace Duy Manh, who has just returned from injury. Nham Manh Dung is likely to have to cede his forward position to foreign soldiers in Settel. Vu Tien Long or Nguyen Van Truong will still have to be a long-term replacement in Hanoi, where there is no shortage of talents.
The Asian U23 Championship is a young playground. The energetic performance of U23 Vietnam will only succeed if the players participate in the youth championship without much calculation. But between now and the end of the year, Yue Ying and his teammates will no longer have U23 competitions. They will have to fight to find a place at the club before considering being targeted by coach Park Hengrui in the 2022 AFF Cup. But is there room for those people to continue to sublimate in the harsh environment of V League?
