THAILAND According to coach Hoang Anh Tuan, Vietnam achieved all its goals when successfully defending the Southeast Asian U23 throne, especially in testing the squad and the maturity of young players.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan (wearing glasses) and Vietnamese players celebrate winning the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship at Rayong Stadium on the evening of August 26. Photo: Lam Thoa
- What is your biggest impression right now, after defeating Indonesia with Vietnam to win the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship ?
- We just had a very tense match, I am very happy. Firstly, I am happy because for the first time I won a championship at the national team level. Secondly, according to the strategy of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), we used young players in this tournament. And they have matured very quickly. The 17, 18, 19 year old players were given more opportunities to play than usual. This makes me very happy. Not only did we win the championship, but we also won with a force of more young players than our opponents. Perhaps, this is the youngest squad in the tournament.
- How did you prepare your tactics against Indonesia in the final?
- When watching Indonesia, I noticed that they played three matches with three different lineups. Their lineup operated quite smoothly, especially in the match against Thailand in the semi-finals. This was the most important match so we determined that they had to use the lineup with the best players. Like Vietnam, we had to use the best 11 players, only putting young players on the field in extra time.
- What about the mental aspect when players take penalty kicks?
- We are not subjective, but time is on Vietnam's side. I know that Indonesia's physical condition and fitness have declined a lot after the semi-final match with Thailand. Looking at the list of players, they have seven reserve players, including two goalkeepers. So, they only have five options for other positions. Some of the main players are not in really good physical condition.
I think Vietnam's preparation is not wrong at all. I encouraged the players to continue working and making efforts because time is on their side. The goals will come with time. The Vietnamese players seemed a bit tense, but then kept their spirits up even though Nguyen Quoc Viet missed a penalty kick at the beginning of the match. All the players have worked with me for a long time, at least a year, at most three years. So, I understand each person's strengths. In recent training sessions, we practiced a lot of 11m kicks. The players' 11m kicking ability is quite even. The main problem is that I understand their kicking ability well to arrange for the nerve-wracking kicking round. We anticipated that the match could go into a penalty shootout. The match progressed as we predicted.
- Before the penalty shootout, what did you say to the players?
- I'll just keep it short: 'We're almost there. We have a cake, but we're just missing a little icing. Let's all work together and focus on finishing this.'
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan (orange shirt) reminds Vietnamese players before extra time in the match against Indonesia. Photo: Lam Thoa
- What do you think about goalkeeper Van Chuan's performance?
- The goalkeeper is half of the team. In my opinion, Van Chuan's previous mistakes were exaggerated. Many other goalkeepers have made the same mistake. At this level, we have to put our trust in the players, especially the goalkeepers. We have to give them a chance to correct their mistakes. Van Chuan is a potential goalkeeper for the national teams. If Van Chuan had not played well in one or two matches and replaced him, he certainly would not have won the award for best goalkeeper today.
- What about some heated situations on the field?
- We prepared for many situations, but there were some unexpected situations, like Nguyen Van Truong's play in the group stage. Actually, at this age, such things happen more often than in the national team. My philosophy is that discipline is the top priority. I allow players to make mistakes, but they cannot repeat them, they must correct them. So the players feel more comfortable. At the end of the match, everything returns to normal, happy.
- What are your plans after the championship?
- We probably slept for two hours and then went to the airport to return to Vietnam. We are very happy, especially because many young players have matured and demonstrated their abilities. Of course, in the future we still have to strive for many other titles. But for now we must be happy because our direction is correct.
Vnexpress.net
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