Finally the region – and beyond – is starting to wake up to the talents that Vietnamese football possesses and this recognition is long overdue.
Much of the attention though seems focused on the sublime attacking talents of stars such as Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Cong Phuong (and I’ve been leading that charge for a while) but to focus only on the final third is to do a disservice to what’s been arguably the nation’s greatest strength in qualification so far.
I’ve said plenty about not being the greatest admirer of the team’s reactive tactical approach but you have to hand it to the players in being able to implement that philosophy in a very impressive manner.
This is a team that has in many ways grown up together through the various youth sides and in the back five that familiarity is immediately evident.
Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam may be a relatively new addition as a starter but in both the AFF Suzuki Cup and qualification so far he’s been an imposing figure and without his crucial penalty save in the first half against Thailand this week Vietnam may well not be sitting two points clear at the head of the standings.
The wingbacks, Doan Van Hau and Nguyen Trong Hoang straddle the age divide with the former one of Asia’s brightest young things and the latter – aptly nicknamed the ‘Buffalo’ – a reliable veteran.
Those on the fringes waiting for a chance are just as talented and with Vu Van Thanh finally over crippling injury he adds an intriguing option on either side – or further forward – of the back five.
Under the rigid Korean coach Park Hang-seo, the wide defenders/wingbacks are charged with working just as hard, if not harder, in maintaining the team’s defensive shape than they are in pushing forward and contributing in attack.
It’s the central defensive trio though that have, for me, been the real stars of qualification thus far.
The left-sided Bui Tien Dung is 24, the right-sided Do Duy Manh is 23 and the rock that holds everything together in the brilliant central option, Que Ngoc Hai, is just 26.
It’s easy to interpret numbers as being a complete analysis but in this situation it’s absolutely justified – through five matches this defensive unit has conceded just the single goal and that was a late effort in Indonesia with the match already in the bag.
Previously with both Tien Dung and Duy Manh there was always the sense that they were steady contributors but not necessarily standout performers – prone to positional lapses and rash passes but over the past 12 months both have improved out of sight.
That’s what winning a major regional title under a coach whose mantra is strict and controlled will do.
Both have become fine foils in the wider roles in the back three where they’re now confident in possession and sure in their positional play, equally strong on the ground and in the air.
The one player whose stock has risen the most though is unquestionably Ngoc Hai – at just 26 he’s already the undisputed defensive leader and a fine young captain.
Barely two or three years ago he was a player on the verge of being just another talented young star to have failed to live up to his potential, and so prone to rash challenges and bookings was he that he earned the nickname of ‘bad boy.’
Under Park, though, he’s added polish to the steel, is confident in playing out from the back and has developed a fine sense of when to step out and make challenges or cut passing lanes and when to drop and stay.
He’s a commanding presence physically and a composed passer – match that with a tactical understanding that’s increased light years and he’s now, for me, the best central defender anywhere in Southeast Asia and one of the better options across the continent.
Just as it took the wider football world far too long to wake up to the attacking talents that Vietnam possesses so too has recognition been slow in coming for the excellent defensive talents the team possesses.
As deserved as all the talk of Quang Hai and others has been it’s long overdue that we talk of Ngoc Hai in similar tones.
Here’s a player who absolutely has the talent to feature in a mid-tier European league and to be a star in Japan or Korea.
In his prime at 26 and with almost 50 national caps already to his name, it’s time for the former bad boy to be handed his chance abroad.
Photo: Facebook/VFF
