Hoàng Đức reveals a surprise about Tài Lộc: He can play as a defensive midfielder for the Vietnam national team

Beyond his strong reputation as a center-back, Nguyễn Tài Lộc is offering an interesting tactical alternative for coach Kim Sang Sik, having been trialed as a defensive midfielder for the Vietnam national team.

In a media interview before the Vietnam national team's afternoon training session on July 15 at the VFF Youth Training Center, midfielder Nguyễn Hoàng Đức revealed that Nguyễn Tài Lộc is being assigned by the coaching staff to try out the holding midfielder position. According to Hoàng Đức, this is not too surprising because his teammate possesses the professional foundation suitable for this role.

"Lộc can play well as a defensive midfielder. He handles the ball steadily, has good tactical awareness, and adapts very quickly to the coaching staff's requirements," Hoàng Đức shared.

Testing Nguyễn Tài Lộc in midfield is seen as one of the measures to help coach Kim Sang Sik increase tactical flexibility ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Cup. If successful, the Vietnam national team will gain another quality option in the central area, where interception, ball recovery, and launching attacks from the back are crucial.

According to the coaching staff's assessment, Nguyễn Tài Lộc meets many criteria of a modern defensive midfielder. This player has good game reading ability, effective tackling, proper positioning, and especially ball-playing skills from the defensive third.

These qualities allow him to take on the role of a "shield" in front of the defense, rather than just playing in his familiar center-back position.

The trend of using center-backs as defensive midfielders is no longer uncommon in modern football. Many teams take advantage of players with strong defensive abilities, accurate passing, and tactical thinking to strengthen control of the midfield. Nguyễn Tài Lộc is expected to become a similar option for Vietnam if he continues to adapt well during training.

This trial period also provides more personnel options for coach Kim Sang Sik as the team aims to defend the ASEAN Cup 2026 title.

With the ability to play both center-back and defensive midfielder, Nguyễn Tài Lộc promises to become a "versatile card," giving the coaching staff more rotation options and tactical adjustments depending on the opponent.

"After two weeks in South Korea, the whole team had very useful physical training sessions and three friendly matches. That helped the players bond more and better understand the coach's tactics.

Everyone was very sad when we learned that Duy Mạnh couldn't continue. Personally, I can only encourage him and hope he recovers soon to return for the next tournaments.

This is the first time the Vietnam national team has played in Thái Nguyên. I hope the fans will come to the stadium in large numbers to give the team more strength. The whole team will play with the highest spirit to repay the audience's affection."