Behind Coach Kim Sang-sik's 'strange' calculations for the goalkeeper position

The Vietnamese national team's goalkeeping team continues to be in turmoil, as both Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Filip are absent to make way for less famous goalkeepers.

Unpredictable like the goalkeeper of the Vietnamese team

In the Vietnam national team training session in September, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to call up two names: Van Chuan of Hanoi FC and Van Viet of Viettel The Cong. This is the first time in history that the Vietnam national team has gathered with two goalkeepers who have never been the main goalkeeper at the national team level before.

Van Viet was given a chance by coach Philippe Troussier in 2023, but he could not compete with Nguyen Filip. In early 2025, coach Kim Sang-sik called Viet up for the March training session. It seemed like the main goalkeeper's door had opened for the former SLNA goalkeeper when Filip withdrew and Dinh Trieu was injured, but Dinh Trieu's last-minute return caused Van Viet to sit out both matches against Cambodia (friendly) and Laos (2027 Asian Cup qualifiers).

Van Viet (black shirt) in Viettel The Cong shirt

PHOTO: VIETTEL THE CONG CLUB

As for Van Chuan, his place in the national team is a big surprise, because the goalkeeper born in 2001, although he won the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship and started playing for Hanoi FC, has not yet made a professional breakthrough. The proof is that in more than 1 year of leading the national team, this is the first time coach Kim Sang-sik has called Van Chuan.

Not calling up both goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Nguyen Dinh Trieu was a surprising decision by Mr. Kim and acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh.

Although the September training session is also the only training session of the year where the Vietnamese team only gathers for friendly matches, the mainstays in the defense, midfield and forward lines are still present. It cannot be said that Mr. Kim does not place importance on this training session, in the context that the national team needs to train its players to maintain hope in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The way Mr. Kim chose two completely new goalkeepers can be seen as the first brick to build the future in the goal. Nguyen Filip (33 years old) and Dinh Trieu (34 years old) are both on the other side of the slope, despite the fact that the "career" of goalkeepers is longer than other positions. Both are no longer in the long-term plan, aiming for the 2030 World Cup qualifiers of the Vietnamese team. When the World Cup qualifiers start, Nguyen Filip will be 36 years old, and Dinh Trieu will be 37 years old.

Filip Nguyen's position in the national team has never been guaranteed.

PHOTO: VFF

Putting faith in young goalkeepers is a must to "revolutionize" the goal. It is very likely that in the only training session where the Vietnamese team does not have to worry about results, coach Kim Sang-sik will open the door wide for young goalkeepers to get used to the feeling of being the main goalkeeper. They must start with gentle steps, then take the number one position.

Fierce competition

In just over 1 year in charge of the Vietnamese team, coach Kim Sang-sik has rotated 3 goalkeepers: Van Lam, Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Filip.

Mr. Kim is ready to use Dinh Trieu as the main goalkeeper for 6 matches in the AFF Cup 2024, even though the Hai Phong goalkeeper has never played in a major tournament before.

Dinh Trieu later repaid the trust with the title of best goalkeeper of the tournament, but in the match against Malaysia in June, the starting position returned to Nguyen Filip. Or goalkeeper Van Lam, who started 2/3 of coach Kim's first matches, then "disappeared" and was no longer called up by coach Kim Sang-sik.

Van Chuan (left) is used to working with teammates like Thanh Chung and Duy Manh at the club.

PHOTO: HANOI CLUB

Coach Kim Sang-sik revealed that his choice of who to start was greatly influenced by the advice of assistant Lee Woon-jae. Mr. Lee Woon-jae is a legendary former goalkeeper of the Korean national team, possessing an eye for people and considerable experience with 20 years of experience. Coach Lee directly trained, evaluated and advised Mr. Kim on who to choose.

Coach Kim Sang-sik also revealed to Thanh Nien : "Choosing who will start depends not only on performance on the training ground, but also on the match context and the nature of the opponent."

Mr. Kim has his own set of criteria for choosing the starting players. Therefore, Mr. Kim's decisions to use players in the national team (such as trusting Ngoc Tan, Ngoc Quang, Hai Long, Dinh Trieu) or U.23 (Xuan Bac, Cong Phuong, Hieu Minh) although... difficult to understand, are very effective.

From this perspective, the goal of the Vietnamese national team will change a lot. The ones who will benefit the most are the young and ambitious goalkeepers like Van Chuan, Van Viet and Trung Kien.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dang-sau-toan-tinh-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-o-vi-tri-thu-mon-185250828163552631.htm