Coach Kim Sang-sik’s candid remarks about Vietnamese players

During his conversation with Sport Seoul, Coach Kim Sang-sik expressed straightforward opinions about the Vietnamese footballers.

In the interview with Sport Seoul, Coach Kim Sang-sik shared honest thoughts about Vietnamese football, especially regarding the players’ discipline and training culture. The Korean coach believes that to elevate the national team, improvements must start from the smallest details, including attitude, spirit, and training habits.

According to the Korean strategist, the most crucial factor for success is the ability to quickly grasp and adapt. When taking over the Vietnamese team, he spent significant time analyzing the periods under Coach Park Hang-seo and the decline during his predecessor’s era.

From this, he identified a major issue: “too rapid youth integration,” which caused the team to lose its balance. “Key players once nurtured by Coach Park were no longer prioritized, resulting in a breakdown in the team’s playing style. I have worked to restore that stability,” he revealed.

Coach Kim Sang-sik also commented on the playing and training habits of Vietnamese players: “I noticed that Vietnamese players often don’t get up immediately after falling, whether during practice or matches. They wait for a teammate to pass the ball or someone to offer water before standing up. When I tracked this, I found that the ball was only actively in play for about 45 minutes per match,”

the Korean strategist then instructed the entire team to abandon this habit and adjusted training methods to improve fitness and concentration. “I train them for about 70 to 90 minutes but require players to maintain high intensity throughout the session,” Coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized.

Tactically, Kim Sang-sik uses a simpler and more visual coaching approach. “Unlike Jeonbuk players who have a strong tactical foundation, Vietnamese players need clearer communication. I even used a handkerchief to signal tactical changes. Turning the handkerchief means pressing, while showing the tactical board signals switching from a 5-4-1 to a 5-3-2 formation. Everything is clearly defined to help them understand easily,” he explained.

At the end of the interview, Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed his strong belief in Vietnamese football’s potential. However, to advance further, Vietnamese players must change their mindset and training culture.