Coach Troussier reveals tactics to help Vietnam team deal with Japanese stars

Coach Philippe Troussier attends a press conference before the opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup against Japan. Coach Troussier shows how to deal with the opponent.

" The Vietnamese team can play proactively or counter-attack. Being proactive means controlling the ball, controlling the decisions we make and showing confidence. If we meet Laos, Cambodia, Singapore or Brunei, we have to try to find space to shoot the ball. But against Japan, an opponent with many stars, we have to play counter-attack. The important thing is how to counter-attack to make it difficult for them, disrupt their playing style, cut off the connection between their lines, making them lose confidence and get into trouble, " said coach Troussier.

Coach Troussier hopes the Vietnamese team will make a surprise against Japan.

The French coach assessed that the opponent is very strong, with good form since the 2022 World Cup. The chance of victory for the Vietnamese team is not high, but this can happen.

" With my experience working in Japan, I understand them well. This is a top candidate for the championship with many players playing in top European leagues. They are in very good form. Since the 2022 World Cup, they have probably only lost once to Costa Rica. In friendly matches, they have won and scored 4 to 5 goals. In general, they are a very strong team ," coach Troussier assessed.

" If we don't get a good result tomorrow, I believe the opportunity is not over yet. According to the tournament rules, the four third-placed teams with the best results will advance. Five years ago, the Vietnamese team entered the next round thanks to this method, and had a little more luck when they had more fair-play points.

Saying that does not mean we accept the developments in the next match and there will be no surprises. Football always has surprises. We met Japan 10 times and lost 9. The remaining match we will get at least 1 point or maybe win, who knows maybe tomorrow's match .

Coach Troussier affirmed that the Vietnamese team's preparations are for three matches, not just the match against Japan. At the same time, this coach affirmed that the Vietnamese team has its own strengths to win against Japan.

" In my experience, Japanese people understand that the success factor comes from the collective. 20 years ago when I came to Japan, Europeans also asked me how Japanese players were and what their level was.

At that time, to help Japan win, I relied on collective strength. I understood that the weakness of Vietnamese players was that they had not experienced top tournaments. However, they had the basic elements of a football player, knowing how to pass, move, exchange information with each other and connect based on the collective direction set by the head coach. If tomorrow the Vietnamese team achieves good results, I will not consider it the brilliance of any individual but the achievement of the collective ."

The Vietnam team will meet Japan at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow, January 14, at Al Thumama Stadium (Doha, Qatar).

Hoai Duong

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