Hanoi coach Akira Ijiri opposes the view that the Vietnamese women's team failed at the 2023 Women's World Cup due to physical factors.
After watching the 2023 Women's World Cup, coach Ijiri - currently leading the Vietnam U17 women's team - said that despite efforts and certain achievements, Vietnam's level is still much lower than world football. He even said that it would be difficult for Vietnam to participate in the 2027 Women's World Cup. "Four years is very short and even if we can participate, the playing style will still be the same, it will take 10 to 12 years to change," he told the media before the U17 team's training session.
Coach Akira Ijiri is leading the Vietnam U17 women's team. Photo: VFF
The Japanese coach objected to the view that Vietnam was inferior in physical strength and physique. "People seem to have misunderstood the physical problem, leading to their poor performance at the World Cup," said the 53-year-old coach.
He cited that Vietnam has an average height of 31st, while Japan is 28th, but still plays well, and said that Japanese women's head coach Futoshi Ikeda has analyzed deeply and affirmed that the two teams are not different in terms of physical strength. "The most important thing is technique," coach Ijiri emphasized. "Vietnam must analyze this issue clearly, must realize that they are lacking technique."
In fact, Vietnam and Japan have similarities in their first appearances at the Women's World Cup. In New Zealand this summer, Vietnam lost 0-3 to the United States, 0-2 to Portugal and 0-7 to the Netherlands. Japan first played in the Women's World Cup in 1991, losing 0-1 to Brazil, 0-8 to Sweden and 0-3 to the United States. But four years later, they beat Brazil 2-1, only to lose 0-2 to Sweden. In 2011, Japan became the first Asian representative to win the World Cup.
Coach Ijiri believes that Vietnam needs to consider a long-term strategy for the current U17 and U20 women's teams, while improving the training of players from at least eight years old.
Huynh Nhu (No. 9) competes for a high ball with an American player at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Photo: Duc Dong
Coach Ijiri has been working in Vietnam since 2019 with the support of the Japan Football Federation, mainly leading teams from U16 to U20 women. Currently, he is leading the Vietnam U17 team to prepare for the second qualifying round of the 2024 AFC U17 Championship. This round consists of eight teams divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the final round. Vietnam is in Group B with Australia, the Philippines and Bangladesh, competing from September 20 to September 24 at the VFF Youth Football Training Center.
The Vietnamese women's team is also preparing for the 19th Asian Games in China, which will start on September 19. Tomorrow, the team will go to Hai Phong for training before going to China. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team are in Group D with Japan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
After the 2023 Women's World Cup, Mr. Chung and the coaching staff made a summary report to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), in which they requested that VFF and clubs coordinate in training players. Recently, in a meeting with the team, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also emphasized the development of a roadmap for women's football. Accordingly, women's football needs to be developed from schools, in addition to improving the height of Vietnamese women.
Hieu Luong
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