Fantastic breakdown of Hiểu Minh's performance. The bit about him never lunging into tackles really captures how modern defenders read the game differently now. I've noticed in youth tournaments that teams building from the back like Vietnam often hit a ceiling when they lack that #9 presence,and set pieces become their fallback. Curious if they'll adapt their approach once they face teams with better corner defending in the knockouts.
Thank you! It seems like a fairly common problem with Asian teams since a traditional #9 is a very rare profile to find in Asia as opposed to in Europe. But personally, I think it's a good challenge for coaches to find alternative ways to create chances without relying too heavily on their strikers, which some teams have managed to achieve.
Fantastic breakdown of Hiểu Minh's performance. The bit about him never lunging into tackles really captures how modern defenders read the game differently now. I've noticed in youth tournaments that teams building from the back like Vietnam often hit a ceiling when they lack that #9 presence,and set pieces become their fallback. Curious if they'll adapt their approach once they face teams with better corner defending in the knockouts.
Thank you! It seems like a fairly common problem with Asian teams since a traditional #9 is a very rare profile to find in Asia as opposed to in Europe. But personally, I think it's a good challenge for coaches to find alternative ways to create chances without relying too heavily on their strikers, which some teams have managed to achieve.