Thai newspaper points out interesting changes of Vietnam team under coach Troussier

" The Vietnamese team defeated the Philippines 2-0 in the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. However, the interesting point may not be the result but the use of many young players by coach Troussier ," wrote Siamsport.

The Thai newspaper highly appreciated the French coach's efforts to rejuvenate the team. Specifically, in the match against the Philippines, Mr. Troussier put 3 young players Nguyen Thai Son, Vo Minh Trong and Phan Tuan Tai in the starting lineup.

Coach Troussier puts his trust in many young players when leading the Vietnam team. (Photo: VFF)

In the second half, at one point, the Vietnamese team played with 6 U23 players. The 3 players who entered later were Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Van Tung and Ho Van Cuong.

" The young players in the match against the Philippines used to train with the Vietnam U19 team under coach Troussier before. Now they are playing at the U23 level. 6 players are playing, including 3 who came on from the bench. This is a change compared to the force under coach Park Hang Seo ," Siamport newspaper commented.

" Of course, the Vietnamese team's players are not very old, but Mr. Troussier is quietly building up his squad by using young players he has trained since the U19 level. Vietnam's decisive goal came from 19-year-old player Nguyen Dinh Bac - who is 1m80 tall ," the newspaper added.

Coach Troussier has significantly changed the Vietnamese team's squad compared to the reign of Mr. Park Hang Seo. In the first official tournament, this coach did not call up many veteran players such as Nguyen Thanh Chung, Ho Tan Tai, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, Nguyen Cong Phuong,...

Besides, he did not use Do Hung Dung and Nguyen Hoang Duc in the match against the Philippines. In addition, Vu Van Thanh and Nguyen Tien Linh only played one half before being replaced.

Mr. Troussier expressed his opinion: " I do not choose people based on their reputation and past achievements. I use people based on their ability, contribution to the team depending on the situation and proposed tactics ."

Van Hai

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