Iraq is sure to top Group D with 2 wins. The Vietnamese team was eliminated from the 2023 Asian Cup early after 2 consecutive losses. Against an opponent in the top 10 strongest teams in Asia, the chances of winning for coach Philippe Troussier and his team are not high. It is very likely that this will be an "acceptable" loss for the Vietnamese team - at least according to the standards of the French coach.
The Vietnamese team created two contrasting emotions in the first two matches. Coach Troussier and his team lost to Japan with a commendable performance, but the defeat to Indonesia brought a feeling of extreme disappointment. However, in reality, if viewed from a subjective perspective and ignoring the opponent or the situation, the performance of the Vietnamese team in the two matches was no different.
The Vietnamese team lost 2 matches and was eliminated early from the 2203 Asian Cup.
The Vietnamese team's ball possession rate was 42.7% against Japan and 57.3% against Indonesia. The number of passes was 533 (against Japan) and 486 (against Indonesia), of which there were no more than 80 long passes per match. In the match against Japan, the Vietnamese team had 6 shots, 3 of which were on target. These figures against Indonesia were 11 and 3 (lower than the opponent in both matches).
Basic statistics show that the Vietnamese team keeps the ball, but their attacking ability is not good. Against Japan, the Vietnamese team scored 2 goals but both were set pieces, something that coach Troussier himself does not want to consider as the main way of scoring.
In fact, in the match against the number 1 team in Asia, the Vietnamese team was praised for its ball control ability, not its attacking tactics. The problem of creating opportunities and scoring goals according to "playbook" was not mentioned because this was a match where Mr. Troussier and his team faced an opponent that was completely superior in class. The fact that the Vietnamese team could not attack is a reality that can be ignored.
However, the Vietnamese team still played like that against Indonesia, which is not good enough. The difference lies in the evaluation standards. Compared to Japan, Indonesia is a much less difficult challenge and the expectations and standards set for the Vietnamese team cannot be an "acceptable" loss.
If we consider Japan as Indonesia and ignore the difference in circumstances between a match that could be lost and a match that must be won, the performance - or perhaps the way of losing - of the Vietnamese team in these two defeats is not much different.
Coach Troussier still believes that the Vietnamese team will progress.
After 2 losses, Coach Troussier still affirmed that the Vietnamese team performed well and made progress. The problem is comparing to which milestone. If the comparison point is the first days of the French coach leading the U23 Vietnam team, it is true that the players showed positive changes.
However, the progress that the French coach mentioned is only limited to a few aspects, which are the mindset of playing football, the ability to control the ball and the confidence of his students. Converting those factors into results on the field is still something that the Vietnamese team has not been able to do.
Iraq is a very strong opponent. Their position in the FIFA rankings and their performance in the first two matches prove it. It is very likely that the Vietnamese team will have another "acceptable" defeat.
The most likely scenario is that Coach Troussier's players will try to control the ball - and do so, playing conservatively, maintaining a good position against a strong opponent. The Vietnamese team may not pose a constant threat to their opponents from their well-planned attacks, but this issue will not be much noticed in the match as "underdogs".
Coach Troussier and his team could be praised if they lost by a narrow margin in such a match. However, that does not necessarily reflect the clear progress of the Vietnamese team.
At a press conference yesterday (January 23), the 68-year-old coach said that in the process he is implementing, the Asian Cup may be a challenge that comes too early. The Vietnamese team is still far from reaching its ideal state. On that journey, "acceptable" losses against both strong and weak opponents may still appear many times.
Han Phong
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