Is the World Cup dream so far away?

N MISSION IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE

The Vietnamese team is currently ranked 2nd in Group F of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, after Iraq, above the Philippines and Indonesia. We were unable to hold on to the number 1 candidate Iraq to create a more competitive group. But with the balance of power, perhaps winning the 2nd ticket of this group is in the hands of the Vietnamese team.

Coach Troussier is using many young players and the effectiveness will be determined by the future.

Firstly, we had a good start with a favorable 2-0 victory right on the Philippines field, while the opponent who is considered to be similar and is a candidate to compete for the second ticket with the Vietnam team, Indonesia, only had a draw in a score chase against this opponent. This means that we are having a more favorable start than the opponent and if the Vietnam team overcomes the 2 direct confrontations (first leg, second leg) against Indonesia, the second ticket of Group F will be considered decided.

Van Toan in the match against Iraq

Second, through the first two rounds of Group F, both opponents are showing instability. The Philippines and Indonesia have both strengthened their squads by adding naturalized players or calling for contributions from overseas Vietnamese, but it is clear that they are still disjointed teams without cohesion or high fighting spirit. Neither their playing style nor their tactical plans have clear outlines, making the performance of both teams unstable. That makes Indonesia fragile, while the Philippines cannot show their strength and courage at important moments of the match.

Meanwhile, although the Vietnamese team under coach Troussier has had many changes, with the presence of many young players and new elements, it has begun to form a fairly clear style with a confident ball control style from the home field, well-coordinated attacks in the match against the Philippines, or a tight defensive formation, determined efforts in every confrontation when facing Iraq.

EXTREMELY DIFFICULT PROBLEMS

In the official match against Iraq and in the friendly matches during the FIFA Days in October (which we both lost), the Vietnamese team made similar mistakes: the defensive system created too much space for the opponent. Coach Philippe Troussier's students made both systematic and individual mistakes. For example, in the match against Iraq, our defenders lost the ball dangerously in the third of the home field at least 6 times. Captain Que Ngoc Hai made 2 mistakes, and young player Phan Tuan Tai passed the ball straight to the opponent's feet 3 times right in and before the penalty area... Those were really serious mistakes, because those situations could have directly led to a very quick goal, close range and directly in front of the goal.

Captain Que Ngoc Hai

Another factor that is making fans worried is the attacking ability of the Vietnamese team when facing strong opponents. In previous years, the Vietnamese team could somehow score against China, South Korea, Iran, Iraq,

Saudi Arabia… But at present, the attacking system is becoming an extremely difficult problem that coach Troussier will have to struggle and have a headache finding a solution.

Coach Troussier and his team have brought Vietnamese fans many contrasting emotions. Perhaps experts and many fans are not really satisfied with the achievements and performance of the players. But anyway, there have been optimistic signs about the innovation and efforts of the young players. With what has been shown, the Vietnamese team still has a lot of potential to improve and progress. And if in the near future, the remaining pieces such as Hoang Duc, Hung Dung, Tien Linh can fully integrate into the squad, the strength of the team under Coach Troussier will be upgraded. Hopefully, at that time, the team will be able to compete more fairly with the top teams in Asia. And only then, can we think about the "World Cup Dream".

Vietnam is in a suitable group at the 2024 AFC U.23 Championship

According to the draw results on November 23, U.23 Vietnam is in Group D with Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia at the 2024 AFC U.23 Championship taking place from April 15 to May 3, 2024 in Qatar.

This group is considered suitable for U.23 Vietnam. Among them, U.23 Uzbekistan is the strongest name. In the last 3 tournaments, this Central Asian team has appeared in the final twice (1 championship in 2018, winning U.23 Vietnam) and ranked 4th once. Vietnam's immediate goal is to pass the group stage and reach the quarterfinals.

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