Vietnam Stick with Familiar Core for FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026

With just five days before the opening match against the Philippines, the Vietnam national team stepped onto the training pitch in Indonesia without their two most important pillars. Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Van Vi are almost certainly absent due to injury, leaving significant gaps in midfield and the left flank. But the most notable point is not the missing names, but how Head Coach Kim Sang Sik chose his solution: continuing to place trust in the core squad that helped Vietnam win the 2026 ASEAN Cup, rather than experimenting with new faces. The context of this decision lies in the extremely short preparation window. Coach Kim had only five days to prepare for the opening match, a period insufficient to build any new tactical system. In modern football, five days are only enough to review basic principles, not to test bold ideas. Therefore, keeping the championship-winning core is a logical choice: these players have absorbed his philosophy, understand tactical demands, and have played together through many major matches. Cohesion becomes the most valuable asset when time is a luxury. The absence of Hoang Duc is the most severe tactical loss. He is not only the best ball-retaining midfielder but also the playmaker, press-resister, and tempo-setter. Without him, Vietnam will almost certainly have to shift from a controlled possession game to a more direct, reactive counter-attacking style. This reduces control against well-organized opponents. Meanwhile, Van Vi's absence weakens the left flank, where he frequently pushed forward to support attacks. Cao Quang Vinh, expected to replace him, offers a different full-back profile — more defensively oriented than attacking. This is a change in nature, not a like-for-like replacement. However, the biggest blind spot lies in this very familiarity. A team overly reliant on an old core becomes predictable. Opponents can study Vietnam's patterns from previous matches and build specific defensive plans. In a short tournament, familiarity helps early but becomes a double-edged sword in knockout rounds when opponents have enough data to neutralize it. Tactical adaptability mid-tournament becomes the decisive factor. Fans expect to see a different Vietnam team, but Coach Kim understands that experimentation is a privilege of teams with time. With five days, the safe choice is the right choice. But if results disappoint, this very safety will be criticized as a lack of ambition. Can cohesion compensate for a lack of creativity? The answer will come on the pitches of Indonesia.