Vietnam Team: What do we see after the two debuts of Mr. Kim Sang Sik?

1. Not long after parting ways with coach Troussier, the Vietnamese team also officially introduced Kim Sang Sik's successor with the remaining two matches in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

If we take the first two matches in the 2026 Asian World Cup qualifiers between Mr. Troussier and coach Kim Sang Sik, the results are similar with 1 win and 1 loss.

However, the biggest difference in the Vietnamese team since Mr. Kim Sang Sik took over is that the spirit and fighting spirit of the players are higher than before.

Without these things, it would not be easy for the Vietnamese team to defeat the Philippines in a difficult match at My Dinh or to score against the Iraqi team.

2. It can be seen that the expertise of the Vietnamese team after 2 matches led by coach Kim Sang Sik is not too impressive, with little novelty from the use of personnel to the playing style.

Vietnam's defense is still very fragile like when coach Troussier took over, even though it has most of the best names at the moment.

Meanwhile, the attacking players have not left much of an impression in their performance, but their scoring efficiency is much higher than before (2 goals/match), largely thanks to their spirit of not giving up instead of giving up when facing difficulties.

It is understandable that coach Kim Sang Sik has not left a big impression on the expertise of the team, because the actual time for the new captain of the Vietnam team to work is too little, so it is difficult to say whether the Korean strategist is good or suitable or not.

3. Overall assessment of the first two matches of the Vietnam team under coach Kim Sang Sik is worth hoping, because at least the "Golden Star Warriors" have started to regain confidence and excitement despite the similar results as when Mr. Troussier took charge.

It is not yet possible to confirm whether Mr. Kim Sang Sik's expertise is suitable for Vietnamese football or not, because this takes time, but at least now fans are starting to have faith again after a period of depression under coach Troussier.

The support of fans, players, teams and the media will be very important if coach Kim Sang Sik wants to be honored like his senior colleague Park Hang Seo.

But before he can be supported, Mr. Kim Sang Sik must do more than what he showed in his first two matches. Fortunately, the new Korean captain still has time to help the Vietnamese team return to the winning track, although it is not easy if looking at the current state of Vietnamese football.