Coach Troussier: Not just the semi-finals, the goal is the championship
Before the tournament, we only had a short time to work together and the task set for U22 Vietnam was to pass the group stage to enter the semi-finals. The first goal has been achieved and now, U22 Vietnam continues to take on the responsibility of defending the gold medal won in the two previous tournaments. That is the highest and most specific goal of the U22 Vietnam team.
Press conference before the semi-final match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Indonesia
Having reached the semi-finals, there are certainly no weak teams and everyone has the potential to win the championship. There will be winners and losers and of course, I cannot predict the outcome but I am sure that the semi-finals, finals and bronze medal matches will all be very difficult. We will fight hard and whoever wins will be very worthy of their preparation.
For me, each match is different, we know that the deeper we go, the more pressure there will be. The important thing is the players' confidence and I cannot convey that from mere words. My squad is very young, half of them are from the U20 team, all have talent and qualities but do not have much experience. What I teach the players, from instructions in training sessions to matches, thereby conveying confidence through tactical lessons over the past two months. Hopefully that confidence will be maintained after the match with U22 Thailand.
Coach Philippe Troussier confident ahead of semi-finals
I gave a chance to the players who have not played much against U22 Thailand, also to have more options for the squad. Tomorrow we will face a strong opponent. Matches like this are good for Southeast Asian football in general.
Coach Troussier's statement:
Men's football semi-final press conference
I don’t have much experience with Southeast Asian teams, but I feel that the nature of the matches in the region can be compared to the confrontations between Japan and Korea in East Asia or France and Germany in Europe. Such confrontations will have a positive effect on the development of regional football. The World Cup in the coming years will increase the number of slots, which will give teams more opportunities. There will also be the Asian Cup coming up, and all teams have the ambition to show their level and continue to progress in the World Cup qualifiers, not to mention the ambition to prove themselves as the strongest team in the region.
As coaches, we are always under pressure to help the team win, play beautifully, and win 3-0, but I like that kind of pressure because it will give me more motivation to complete my job.
Coach Indra Sjafri: U22 Vietnam is formidable
We have worked hard in every match to reach the semi-finals and any team that reaches here has a chance to reach the final and win. U22 Vietnam is an unpredictable opponent, and is led by a very good new coach, so their past 4 matches have left a clear impression. I hope U22 Indonesia will play well, block their attacks to control the match, and win.
Coach Indra Sjafri highly appreciates U22 Vietnam
The 4 group stage matches of U22 Indonesia have given us the opportunity to select the best players for the semi-finals. Our goal in each stage is to first pass the group stage, then pass the semi-finals and finally win the tournament. Up to now, thanks to God, the players are stable, giving us the best force for tomorrow.
I have a lot of experience in facing Vietnamese football, such as the final match in Manila - SEA Games 30. We have the belief that we can win against both Vietnam and Thailand, the problem is how to prepare the team. Indonesia is in the same group as Vietnam in the 2024 Asian Cup, but right now we need to focus highly on tomorrow's match.
Goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan (U22 Vietnam)
Having one day less rest than Indonesia is not a big deal. The team has taken it easy to recover after the match with Thailand and tomorrow the team will fight with all their might in this important match. We are all young players, we recover quickly so tomorrow everyone will be ready to play.
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