'Vietnam team needs to improve spirit for AFF Cup'

In an interview with Thanh Nien Newspaper, Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Anh Tu affirmed that the Vietnamese team has not achieved good results, but the federation has a roadmap for the whole team to regain their form before the important playground called AFF Cup 2024.

Reasons for Vietnam team's decline

The Vietnamese team has not been able to make a breakthrough when it only won 1 out of the last 5 matches. What is the reason, sir?

Immediately after the end of the final match in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, the Vietnamese team continued to prepare for the 2024 AFF Cup. This is a roadmap that was built by the VFF very early, so the team was able to compete with quality opponents at the FIFA Days in September (competing with Russia and Thailand) and FIFA Days in October (competing with the Indian team).

Vietnam team goes through a series of 4 matches without a win

VFF has been proactive in preparing for the team, but in reality, there have been difficulties beyond control, such as storm number 3 (super typhoon Yagi) affecting the team's training and competition during the FIFA Days in September.

Then, due to force majeure, the Lebanese team could not come to Vietnam to compete due to difficulties in finding flights, causing the team to only have 1 match during FIFA Days in October instead of 2 matches as originally planned.

In terms of the results of the last 5 matches, the team won against the Philippines at home and lost to Iraq (a very strong opponent) with a score of 1-3 away in the second qualifying round of the World Cup. At the FIFA Days in September, the team played against Russia and Thailand, both of whom were highly rated opponents, and in the context of the players not being in the best form due to being in the preparation stage for the V-League, the results were not as expected, which is understandable.

By FIFA Days in October, V-League had run 4 rounds so we could see that the players' fitness and form had improved, and the gameplay had also been run much better.

Coach Kim Sang-sik under pressure

The AFF Cup is less than 2 months away for the Vietnamese team. How does the VFF plan to strengthen coach Kim Sang-sik and his team?

For the FIFA Days friendly matches, the main goal of the Vietnamese team is still to help the team compete to build the squad, improve the playing style to prepare for the official tournament, the Southeast Asian Championship.

The Vietnam national team's roster also includes a combination of potential young players and experienced veterans, creating a strong and diverse squad. This shows the team's proactiveness in building its force and long-term strategy.

In the upcoming sprint phase, VFF will ensure that the team's program of activities is operated according to the set plan, of course there will be some necessary adjustments according to the proposal of the head coach and through consultation with the National Coaching Council.

During this important period, the team will focus on training for a longer period of time than the last two training sessions, including a training session and friendly match in Korea at the end of November.

Vietnam team needs to improve physical strength and finishing

Will VFF adjust the target of the Vietnamese team in the AFF Cup, due to the performance of the Vietnamese team as well as the movements of major opponents such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia?

The team's goal is still to reach the final and strive to compete for the 2024 AFF Cup championship. Although the team's current form is not stable, we believe in the ability of the players and coaching staff.

The VFF Executive Committee also directed the professional department to continue to closely monitor opponents such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia to support the Vietnamese team's coaching staff in making appropriate tactical adjustments.

Vietnam team must compete fiercely with Thailand and Indonesia at AFF Cup 2024

What does the Vietnamese team lack to compete with Thailand and Indonesia at the AFF Cup 2024?

Through the FIFA Days matches in September and October, I personally feel that the team needs to improve their finishing ability and consistency in their playing style. In addition, improving their physical strength and competitive spirit are also important factors to compete with strong opponents like Thailand and Indonesia.

In addition, we also need a solution to balance the balance of power in the context of regional competitors becoming much stronger thanks to the large force of naturalized players.

The V-League will return in October and November. With the training trip to Korea, will the players soon regain their form?

It can be said that the team not gathering according to the FIFA Days schedule in November is part of the plan that VFF has built for the team in advance, not an adjustment. This is aimed at maintaining the rhythm and form of the players through the competition process in the V-League.

At the same time, VFF will use the FIFA Days break in November to make up for the training session before the AFF Cup, thereby helping the coaching staff have more time to utilize and perfect personnel and playing style.

Although there are no international friendly matches like FIFA Days in September and October, VFF has also calculated for the Vietnamese team to compete with opponents that meet the professional requirements of the coaching staff during the training session in Korea on this occasion.

The whole team will have a training trip to Korea from November 21.

What specific psychological and spiritual therapy does the Vietnamese team need to revive?

The most important thing besides good preparation for the Vietnamese team is the encouragement and support of the media and especially the fans.

In football, there are times of winning, times of losing, and ups and downs. I believe that the spirit of solidarity and positive energy will help the team overcome the difficult period soon, to enter a new development cycle.

Thank you for the chat!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/pho-chu-tich-vff-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-can-cai-thien-tinh-than-cho-aff-cup-185241015160506957.htm