U22 Vietnam and the issue of rested versus fatigued players

05/12/2025 10:24:00 ScoreStream

Many were unhappy following the disappointing debut of Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team atSEA Games 33, especially since the opponent was only U22 Laos. However, football is about winning and results, and double standards are hard to justify.

As Sports & Culture has often pointed out, youth football is naturally unstable but contains the explosive, bold spirit of youth. At the youth national team level, the differences among Southeast Asian football nations are minimal.

When the SEA Games men’s football still allowed U22 + 3 players, we secured 2 gold medals. But when the organizers restricted the age to U22, Vietnamese football immediately lost the SEA Games gold. Vietnamese professional football outperforms Laos, proven by the senior national team (the product of professional leagues) convincingly beating Laos in both recent 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches. However, at the U22 level, we immediately face difficulties.

The SEA Games 33 men’s football schedule appears very favorable for Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team. One week after playing Laos, we face the main opponent Malaysia. A rested army defeats a weary one—that is a classic principle of military strategy.

U22 Vietnam’s forwards, such as Thanh Nhàn (22), when playing in the V-League, have to play wide to give way to foreign players in the central striker role. Photo: Tuấn Phạm

The issue for the U22 Vietnam team, and indeed for the entire football system and national teams generally, is finishing skills. We can control and execute well in earlier phases, but when close to goal, shots miss, sometimes seeming careless. Shooting is a big problem for the football system, as most clubs have been and still are using foreign center forwards.

SEA Games 33: Coach Kim Sang Sik is concerned about U22 Vietnam

Đình Bắc scored 2 goals in the 2-1 victory over U22 Laos. But even at CAHN, this striker only played wide, with the positions near the goal occupied by Alan and Leo Arthur. Looking at the senior national team, aside from Tiến Linh, we lack a central striker. Without a target player responsible for finishing, it’s very difficult to play.

If just Laos already causes difficulties, imagine facing Indonesia or Thailand! With only Đình Bắc and Thanh Nhàn, who are wide players and rarely play with their backs to goal, it’s probably hard to achieve the ambition of winning the SEA Games 33 gold medal.SEA Games 33is quite challenging.

Of course, as mentioned at the start, youth football inherently holds explosive potential. A good start brings hope for a successful finish. Importantly, the schedule favors the U22 Vietnam team.

Come on, boys!

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