When Mr. Troussier hesitated
When he first took over the Vietnamese team from his predecessor Park Hang-seo (early March), coach Philippe Troussier summoned all 23 players that Mr. Park used in the AFF Cup 2022, with the reason: the players that the previous coach used were also the best players that Vietnamese football currently has.
However, after 6 months of training, the philosophy of the "White Witch" has been clearly shown. He is not looking for the best player (in fact, the quality depends on many aspects), but wants the right player, the one who tries hard and is in the best form at the time of the call-up.
In the two most recent training sessions (June and September), Coach Troussier summoned many of the previous pillars, but at the same time, the French coach gave opportunities to some new faces in the V-League, such as Quang Nam, Thanh Long, Ti Phong and Tien Anh.
Coach Troussier is shaping the Vietnam team
The appearance of many U.23 players on the national team, although most of them have not yet proven their skills, also shows that the "White Witch" boldly opens the door to welcome young blood to ensure succession. If in Coach Park's time, young players had to play very well at the club or youth tournament to be able to join the national team, Mr. Troussier has given opportunities to new names such as Tuan Tai, Van Toan, Van Tung...
However, the large number of players, mixed between old and new groups in the Vietnam team, makes the problem of shaping the personnel structure as well as the playing style not simple. In the 3 matches against Hong Kong, Syria and Palestine, Coach Troussier used 3 different formations, although the basic structure was still the 3 central defenders that the Vietnam team was familiar with before.
Continuous testing in matches as well as in training sessions helps the coaching staff create competitive motivation for the players, develop different playing ideas, as well as comprehensively evaluate the ability of each name.
However, it is not simple for Coach Troussier that after 3 matches, not many players have really stood out, showing convincing performances when placed in the overall ball control style of play. For example, in the match against Palestine, although Cong Phuong and Van Toan had their mark on the goal, Coach Troussier still assessed that both of them did not meet the requirements.
Changing the roles of Quang Hai, Hung Dung, Hoang Duc, Tuan Anh, using many different players in the same position... also shows that for the "White Witch", the optimal lineup is still an idea waiting to take shape.
Cong Phuong has not convinced Mr. Troussier yet.
Race against time
The Vietnamese team has only 1 month left to prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In the second qualifying round, Coach Troussier and his team are in the same group as Iraq, the Philippines, and the winner of the match between Indonesia and Brunei in the first round.
The second qualifying round matches will take place from November 2023 to June 2024, with two matches in each FIFA Days. Unlike the AFF Cup or Asian Cup, the World Cup qualifiers are a long and spread-out campaign, where teams can flexibly adjust their squads to suit each match, instead of having to play the entire tournament with a fixed squad.
However, early formation of the framework and playing style is necessary for the Vietnamese team to get on track soon. In theory, being in a group of 4 teams will be "easier to breathe" than 5 teams like in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, due to the lower competition rate. However, fewer teams mean less opportunity to correct mistakes.
In the previous World Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese team had 8 matches to calculate and adjust. In the upcoming qualifiers, Coach Troussier and his team only have 6 matches, the first two being against the Philippines (away) and Iraq (home) in November.
Quang Hai will be the "core" under Mr. Troussier.
That means if they don't play well next November (equivalent to one-third of the matches in the second qualifying round), the Vietnamese team risks getting stuck. Quang Hai and his teammates need to speed up and ensure the speed of accumulating points right from the opening round. Any stumble at this stage will have consequences.
In addition, right after the 2 World Cup 2026 qualifiers in November, the Vietnamese team will attend the Asian Cup 2023 in January 2024, where Japan, Iraq and Indonesia are waiting. The very difficult group at the Asian Cup with top teams requires Mr. Troussier to quickly shape the personnel to get the best results.
The 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the 2023 Asian Cup are held back-to-back, requiring teams to be well-prepared in terms of personnel, tactics, tactics and strategy. Failure in one arena can create a domino effect, affecting morale in the other arena.
Therefore, October with 3 friendly matches is the golden time for Mr. Troussier to shape the team. Although difficult, it is a task that must be completed before the upcoming difficult journey.
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