Performance changes as team management changes
To be fair, coach Philippe Troussier (French), coach Kim Sang Sik (Korean) or any other strategist who has worked with the national team all have a good view of Vietnamese football. These experts all want the teams to achieve good results, and for Vietnamese football to reach international level.
However, the big difference between the experts is the way of doing things. Coach Troussier wants to rejuvenate the Vietnam team, with the core of very young players, pushing aside the pillars. This is what makes the Vietnam team no longer have the true nature of a national team.
At the same time, young players not only do not develop better, but also face the risk of being stunted, because they cannot withstand the great pressure in top tournaments. The Vietnamese team in early 2024, under coach Troussier, was eliminated after the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, and was eliminated after the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.
In both tournaments, Coach Troussier’s team was eliminated after losing to Indonesia. These losses made the atmosphere of Vietnamese football gloomy, and fans’ confidence in the teams and in domestic tournaments decreased significantly.
Fans' love returns to the Vietnam team (Photo: Do Minh Xuan).
Everything changed when Coach Kim Sang Sik brought success to the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup. The change in performance came from a change in the way the national team was built. Coach Kim Sang Sik learned from the mistakes of Coach Troussier before.
The Korean coach also rejuvenated the team, but it was a systematic rejuvenation, the young players were placed next to the senior players so that they could learn from the senior players, learn from the experienced players. Mr. Kim Sang Sik did not let the young players "swim" on their own, avoiding the situation where young players were "overwhelmed" in the big sea.
Don't stop at regional goals
VFF Vice President of Professional Affairs Tran Anh Tu shared: "The goal of Vietnamese football in the coming years is to be in the group of teams participating in the third qualifying round of the 2030 World Cup."
Meanwhile, former VFF Vice President Duong Vu Lam commented: "Coach Kim Sang Sik's use of personnel before and during the AFF Cup 2024 reflects that he is building a force not only for the tournament in Southeast Asia, but also for Asian-level tournaments, even for the 2030 World Cup qualifiers."
"Most of the players in the current Vietnamese national team squad can play until the end of the 2030 World Cup qualifying campaign. I think this is not only Mr. Kim Sang Sik's policy but also the right advice from VFF," Mr. Duong Vu Lam added.
The current Vietnamese team lineup can compete until the end of the 2030 World Cup qualifiers (Photo: Thanh Dong).
Another important thing, in the victory of the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup, is that the victory brings back faith to the Vietnamese football community, brings back faith to the fans. That faith is that we believe in the ability of Vietnamese football to succeed in the international arena.
We believe that Vietnamese players are fully capable of competing for achievements in international tournaments. The important thing is how to build and operate the teams.
Former coach of the Vietnam U23 team, Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan shared: "Besides the issue of achievements, any victory brings new momentum to a football scene. After winning the AFF Cup 2024 championship, confidence has returned to the domestic football world."
"We are not so optimistic that we hastily judge that Vietnamese football has surpassed Thai football after only one or two wins against this team at the AFF Cup, but we believe that we are one of the strongest football teams in the region. Vietnamese football has a lot of potential.
Vietnamese football is even more stable than Indonesian football. I believe that 2025 will be the year that Vietnamese football develops steadily," coach Hoang Anh Tuan emphasized.
The most important goals in the new year
In the international arena, the top goal of Vietnamese football is to win the Gold Medal (HCV) in the men's football event of the SEA Games. Currently, the Vietnamese team is holding the AFF Cup championship, the U23 Vietnam team is holding the Southeast Asian championship.
Vietnamese football has big goals in 2025 (Photo: Tien Tuan).
If the Vietnam U22 team wins the 33rd SEA Games gold medal in 2025, Vietnamese football will simultaneously hold all the most important titles in regional football: AFF Cup champion, SEA Games champion, U23 Southeast Asian champion. That will certainly increase the position of domestic football on the international stage.
Also related to the SEA Games, the Organizing Committee of host Thailand has approved the age limit for men's football at U22, instead of U23 like the most recent games.
This detail can be beneficial for Vietnamese football, in that we have a lot of talented players in this age group, notably strikers Bui Vi Hao, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Nguyen Dinh Bac, midfielders Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Duc Viet, Khuat Van Khang, defenders Le Nguyen Hoang, Nguyen Manh Hung, goalkeepers Tran Trung Kien, Cao Van Binh...
Two other tasks in 2025 for Vietnamese football are the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (starting in March this year) and the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers (taking place in September). Both of these tasks are related to and complement the SEA Games (taking place in early December).
In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches, against not-so-strong opponents like Laos or Nepal, coach Kim Sang Sik can completely add players in the 22-year-old age group to the Vietnam team.
This not only helps young players have more opportunities to learn from their seniors, but also helps them gain more experience in international competitions, and most importantly, it does not reduce the national team's chances of winning against not-so-strong opponents in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
With the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers in September, this is a rehearsal for Vietnam U22 right before the SEA Games. The squad of Vietnam U22 will almost certainly be finalized after the Asian Youth Championship qualifiers.
Improving the quality of V-League will bring many positive factors to the Vietnam national team (Photo: Manh Quan).
And of course, all international tournaments at the team level cannot be separated from the domestic playground. The system of domestic tournaments including V-League, First Division, National Cup, and youth tournaments is the foundation to create human resources for the teams.
Vietnamese football strategists have also planned to upgrade the domestic football system, while coach Kim Sang Sik has also planned to closely monitor domestic tournaments. Mr. Kim does not want to miss any talent from the domestic playing field, to supplement the national teams, bringing success to Vietnamese football in international missions.
Dantri.com.vn
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