Coach Hoang Anh Tuan: U23 Vietnam entering the quarterfinals is within its capabilities

U23 Vietnam ended their journey at the 2024 AFC U23 Championship after a 0-1 defeat to U23 Iraq in the quarter-finals. Despite some regrets, U23 Vietnam completed the goal set before leaving for Qatar. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan said this was a result that matched his players' abilities.

- How do you rate the performance of U23 Vietnam throughout the tournament?

I think that U23 Vietnam stopped at the quarter-finals, which is appropriate for their ability and strength. In some specific matches, I have regrets. Each match from the match against Kuwait, Malaysia, Uzbekistan or Iraq brought a unique nuance, creating different emotions for the fans.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan is satisfied with his students.

In the first matches, the U23 Vietnam team's playing style was not perfect, with many technical errors. We received unnecessary penalty cards. In addition, I am quite sorry about some referee decisions that led to the outcome of the match not being as expected, for example, Van Chuan's foul on an Iraqi player. If he had been wise and strong, with that play, the referee might not have awarded a penalty to U23 Vietnam.

However, I believe that the players have improved a lot. Before the quarter-final match with U23 Iraq, I said that the team would show a different side. And indeed, that happened. The attitude, fighting spirit, playing style, and tactics were all shown well. I saw the players play openly, beautifully and with determination.

- If you had taken the job earlier and had more time to prepare, would U23 Vietnam have achieved better results?

Teams stronger than U23 Vietnam can all be eliminated. I think if U23 Vietnam prepares better, our playing style will be more beautiful and positive.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan

Before going to Qatar, U23 Vietnam had 2 days of training. To be exact, with all the players as listed, the team only had 1 day of training together. We only had 1 friendly match with U23 Jordan before entering the tournament. If we had prepared better, had more time before the tournament, the result might have been different. I would like to emphasize that it is possible.

U23 Korea won 3 matches in the group stage but was still eliminated in the quarter-finals. The same goes for U23 Qatar. Teams stronger than U23 Vietnam can all be eliminated. I think if U23 Vietnam had prepared better, our playing style would have been more beautiful and more positive.

Anyway, I am happy that the bright spot of U23 Vietnam is the playing style, attitude, and team spirit. Previously, in the U19-U20 Vietnam team that I led, Quang Hai was a special factor. Before that, Vietnam had excellent Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, and Xuan Truong. In this tournament, I see that you guys have created a high team spirit and solidarity.

- This tournament ends, the players will return to their home teams. Many are still very young and can participate in another U23 Asia tournament, what do you expect from them?

It should be emphasized that 90% of the players competing in the U23 Vietnam this time rarely played, including both the V.League and the First Division. I have statistics on the playing time of the players in the last month. Only Quan Van Chuan played more or less 600 minutes. The other players rarely played. There were even cases where they did not play a single minute for a whole month, before the U23 Vietnam gathering. That is what I thought, pondered, and worried about.

Thai Son is a rare player of U23 Vietnam to start in V.League.

Many people assume that a player who has played in the SEA Games or the Asian tournament will continue to perform well in the U23 Asia tournament. But that is only one side of the problem. That player has only played a few matches in international tournaments, in the national team jersey. As for the club, whether they will be able to play or not, we have not mentioned it. Once again, that is my concern.

- Is there any way to improve the above problem?

Each club has its own goals and directions. I respect the club's decision because they use players depending on the purpose for the whole season. At The Cong Viettel, Khuat Van Khang rarely played. Van Tung, Van Truong? They have not played regularly at Hanoi Club.

Since joining Hanoi Police, Van Cuong has been in a situation where he sometimes plays and sometimes doesn't. Le Nguyen Hoang has only recently been given the opportunity by SLNA. Manh Hung used to play a lot but has rarely played in the past month. Rarely in this U23 Vietnam squad is Thai Son or Duy Cuong able to play a lot.

Indeed, it is not easy for the club to create conditions for all young players. So I told my students that they themselves must summarize what they have done, what their circumstances are, to improve themselves, and try to compete for a regular playing position at the club. Only then will teams trust and give them conditions to compete.

- Thank you for the conversation.

Mai Phuong

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