Mr. Doan Minh Xuong: 'Vietnam should solve Indonesia in 90 minutes'

According to the former coach of Dong Thap, Vietnam needs to distribute its strength reasonably to press and quickly deal with Indonesia, avoiding wasting energy in the semi-finals of the 32nd SEA Games today.

*Vietnam - Indonesia: 4pm Saturday May 13, on VnExpress.

- Vietnam and coach Philippe Troussier came to the 32nd SEA Games with great pressure after losing all five friendly matches. But in the group stage, the team won three and drew only one match against Thailand. How did they handle that pressure, in your opinion?

- This SEA Games, Vietnam is under great pressure. In the previous two tournaments, under coach Park Hang-seo, the team was supplemented with players over 22 years old and 60% to 70% of the members were national team players. Meanwhile, in the squad for this SEA Games, there are also U20 players, most of whom have not yet played in the V-League. Only Le Van Do is playing for CAHN Club. The other players are either on the bench or playing in the First Division. Obviously, compared to the previous two generations, this generation has less opportunity to compete internationally while having to shoulder the responsibility of defending the championship.

The reserve players of U22 Vietnam played impressively in the 1-1 draw with Thailand. Photo: Lam Thoa — The reserve players of U22 Vietnam played impressively in the 1-1 draw with Thailand. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

In that context, the team finished the group stage with 10 points and was only behind the top team Thailand in goal difference. That shows that coach Troussier and his team are on the right track. Of course, there were times when the team did not play as expected, due to their immaturity in mentality, experience or physical strength. But clearly, Vietnam is improving as they play. The second half of the match against Thailand proved that. Against a team that was rated higher, the players confidently held the ball, coordinated, controlled the game and quickly scored an equalizer. Even if they had taken advantage of their opportunities better, Vietnam could have taken the lead against Thailand.

We should not compare the current generation with previous generations. In my opinion, the team's progress through each match is very encouraging, even though the team does not have any national team players in charge. Youth training does not always produce talented generations. I rate the current U22 generation as full of potential, but in the past time they have been neglected and have not had the opportunity to compete internationally. Of course, this progress is not stable. That is the inevitable rule of youth teams. Football has to have wins and losses. What is important is how we deal with those wins and losses.

- What are the progress and limitations of U22 Vietnam through the four matches played?

- SEA Games 32 requires playing six matches in 18 days, under hot weather conditions and bad pitch conditions. Vietnam's ultimate goal is to win the championship. Therefore, I think the most positive thing Vietnam has done is to go through the group stage without losing while still preserving its strength.

I appreciate Coach Troussier’s intention in the match against Thailand when he used many reserve players to find new options, preparing for the semi-finals. Of course, with such a lineup, the team was unbalanced and it was difficult to avoid mistakes. Therefore, Vietnam conceded an early goal. However, with reasonable changes in the second half, Vietnam’s playing style was more balanced and cohesive.

The nature of the match against Thailand is not a life-or-death match, because Vietnam has already won a ticket to the semi-finals. Thailand also put half of its reserve team on the field, in order to preserve its strength. Both coaches are very cautious because they only have one day off before the semi-finals. With what they have shown, Thailand shows that they are a strong, even team. They did not play at full strength against Vietnam. We tried our best, but with a reserve team. If the two teams meet again, the scenario will certainly be different. Thailand still has the image of their national team - a team strong in control. With the current players, it will be difficult for us to compete with them. Therefore, solid defense is still the key if we want to defeat Thailand.

In the previous three matches, although Vietnam won, they still showed their limitations. For example, playing like in the second half of the match against Laos was not up to standard, leading to a hard-fought victory. The team improved a bit when they won against Singapore, knowing how to steer the match in their desired direction. In the match against Malaysia, the team played very well in the first half, scoring two goals. But at the end of the first half, due to a mistake by Van Chuan, they were about to score a goal. That goal affected their mentality, making them afraid of being tied. It was the kind of mentality of "holding gold but afraid of losing it", causing many difficulties for the young players. Only when Malaysia had two players sent off did they see a clear victory for Vietnam. It can be seen that the limitation of this generation of players lies in the psychological aspect, due to the lack of international competition. Hopefully, Coach Troussier can improve that.

- How do you evaluate the difference between Vietnam's main and reserve squads?

- Of course there is a difference between the two teams. But the draw with Thailand showed that the reserve players are ready to replace their teammates in the main team. They played with great effort even though they had to play in a position that was not their forte.

Center back Ngoc Thang played with all his heart until he got injured. Goalkeeper Huy Hoang played well when replacing Van Chuan. Khuat Van Khang is an attacking midfielder but still plays well when playing on the left wing. Xuan Tien had to play as a striker even though his forte is a midfielder. In the striker position, Mr. Troussier arranged for Van Truong to replace Van Tung and he played very well in the second half. This could be an important player for Vietnam in the next two matches because in case Van Tung does not play effectively, there is still another alternative in the context that Quoc Viet has not recovered from his injury and may be absent. On the left wing, if Van Do does not play well, Van Khang can replace him. In the middle of the field, the midfielder pair Thai Son and Duc Phu did not play as expected when meeting Laos. But when meeting Thailand, Thai Son paired with Nhat Nam to form a pair that helped Vietnam dominate the game.

Of course, the first team plays more so their form is better. The reserve team plays less so it is not stable. However, with a tough tournament like the SEA Games, coaches always need a backup plan. Coach Troussier can find that in the reserve team.

- Vietnam meets Indonesia in the semi-finals. Is this a formidable opponent for coach Troussier and his team?

- First of all, if we want to defend the championship, we cannot be picky about our opponents. Indonesia is of course stronger than Myanmar. But in the last two SEA Games, they were both defeated by Vietnam. In 2019 and 2022, we both beat Indonesia 3-0, so there is no reason to be afraid of them.

In the group stage, Indonesia was the only team to win all the matches. They have stars who are national team players like Marselino and Witan. Each team has its own strengths. Since the match takes place at 4pm, the team that controls the ball and has better rhythm will have more advantages by saving energy.

Vietnam needs to choose the right time to press high. We have done this well in the past matches. When we met Laos, the team pressed high and scored early. The same was true for the two goals against Singapore. Against Malaysia, Vietnam also scored two early goals thanks to high pressing, forcing the opponent to make mistakes. If we can execute this plan, we can switch to playing defensively to save energy.

I am worried whether Vietnam will be able to recover fully before the semi-final. This match will be more disadvantageous for us as it goes on. If possible, Coach Troussier and his players should solve the problem in 90 minutes. Indonesia has a strong attack and has the advantage of a day off over Vietnam. They will try to take advantage of that. Vietnam needs to overcome the disadvantage and choose a reasonable playing style at each moment.

Quang Huy

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