Coach Troussier, U23 Vietnam and ambition to reach new heights

Coach Philippe Troussier does not just want U23 Vietnam to aim for the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers for simple goals.

Coach Troussier wants the U23 Vietnam players to reach new heights. Photo: VFF

At the press conference before the opening match of U23 Vietnam in the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers, Mr. Troussier said: "Ahead of us is a difficult but exciting challenge, aiming for the 19th ASIAD, and especially the 2024 U23 Asian finals when this tournament has a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics". Regarding the assessment of the U23 Vietnam players, the French coach emphasized: "We are currently the number 1 player in Southeast Asia. I came here to work to help the players surpass the threshold at the regional and world levels". As coach Troussier said, qualifying for the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers is the goal that the players will have to complete. But the more important task is that the players will need to take advantage of more international competition opportunities to gradually accumulate. This is also the time when the Vietnamese team is gathering during the FIFA Days in September 2023, preparing for the match with Palestine. Mr. Troussier also wants to use this gathering to reshape the squad as well as help the Vietnamese team's playing style become more smooth. Therefore, coach Troussier sent a message to the U23 Vietnam players: "Young players also need to take advantage of the opportunity to have a place in the squad when the Vietnamese team is about to compete during the FIFA Days". Of the 12 players who said goodbye to U23 Vietnam after Mr. Troussier finalized the list, 4 players including Nguyen An Khanh, Dang Tuan Phong, Giap Tuan Duong and Tran Nam Hai were retained and transferred to the Vietnamese team, currently practicing to prepare for the friendly match with Palestine. Meanwhile, some players such as Nguyen Minh Quang, Vo Nguyen Hoang, Dinh Xuan Tien... are part of the Vietnam Olympic team, and will gather on September 7 to prepare for the 19th ASIAD. This is considered a planned personnel arrangement between the team levels. In the past 6 months, Mr. Troussier said he has worked with about 70 players. He has many options for the lines. This is also the year that VFF established 2 Vietnam U23 teams. This is also a plan to help players have more opportunities to compete internationally as well as get acquainted with the tactics agreed upon by the coaching staff of the teams. VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan, in a meeting with the U23 Vietnam players before the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers, said: "If we want Vietnamese football to realize its World Cup dream, the U23 Vietnam team must play well in the 2024 U23 Asian Championship, and the first goal to conquer is the U23 Asian qualifiers right at home. If we cannot demonstrate our abilities right from the youth football level, the journey towards the World Cup will be difficult." Obviously, the goals of Vietnamese football are not limited to the results of each tournament. It is a strategically built plan. The performance of U23 Vietnam in the opening match against U23 Guam could be an answer to those ambitions.

Laodong.vn