The Vietnamese team will have their first proper meeting with coach Philippe Troussier in June, with about 10 days of training and a friendly match.
In fact, Mr. Troussier worked with the national team players in March. However, the Vietnamese team at this time only gathered for 4 days, without any friendly matches.
The purpose of the training session 2 months ago was for Coach Troussier to impart the philosophy and playing style he requires from his students. The Vietnamese players were arranged to practice and live alternately with the U.22 team. Most of the energy at that time, Mr. Troussier prioritized U.22 Vietnam with a closer goal called SEA Games 32.
Coach Troussier will work with the Vietnam team in June
Many challenges await the French coach
It is not until the upcoming training session that the Vietnamese team will officially enter a new phase with coach Troussier. In the 5 years under coach Park Hang-seo, Quang Hai and his teammates have achieved important milestones: winning the 2018 AFF Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and being present in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. The above achievements demonstrate the maturity in terms of mettle, competitive mentality and class of the Vietnamese team. However, the 2 defeats in the 2020 and 2022 AFF Cups against Thailand, along with 8 losses in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, show that the Vietnamese team has reached a certain level. To make a leap towards the 2026 World Cup, the whole team needs to renew. That is Mr. Troussier's task, changing the playing style and personnel to suit the strategy.
To steer the Vietnamese team in the right direction, the French coach needs to solve two problems. Firstly, some national players are losing form, or are playing less. That is the case with Quang Hai and Cong Phuong abroad. Quang Hai has not played 20 minutes in Pau FC's first team since the 2022 AFF Cup. The midfielder born in 1997 has had problems with his physical condition, ball feeling in the AFF Cup and his playing inspiration may be affected after being on the bench. Cong Phuong has only played 2 minutes since moving to Yokohama FC, most of the remaining matches, the 28-year-old player was not registered to play. Domestically, Tien Linh, Hung Dung, Tien Dung,... have not achieved the desired form.
The Vietnamese team has flown high under Mr. Park thanks to a generation of star players who appeared at the same time, with both high levels of performance and class. It is not easy to replace the pillars who have accompanied the team for the past 5 years, in the context that the next generation (the U.22 team that Mr. Troussier has just coached) has little playing time, is inexperienced and has not yet excelled in ability.
Coach Troussier needs more from his students
Awakening inspiration for the pillars, interweaving experienced players with young players so that the young generation can both mature thanks to the guidance of their seniors and create competitive motivation for the team,... are Mr. Troussier's long-term goals.
The second problem lies in the playing style. The defensive counter-attacking mindset, ensuring a solid formation in the home field to defend firmly and then punish the opponent with lightning-fast attacks that Mr. Park has built has been "tailor-made" for the Vietnamese team for many years. This playing style of Coach Park Hang-seo is suitable for the Vietnamese team in the recovery and improvement phase, but to aim for the World Cup goal, the whole team needs to change their playing mindset towards controlling the match and attacking more proactively.
Coach Troussier shared: "We are in the process of building a style of play, not only aiming for Southeast Asia, but also the top 10 in Asia." The French coach wants to bring the breath of ball control to the Vietnamese team, and applying it to U.22 Vietnam is a test step.
However, how to change the playing style that has become as habitual as the daily breath of the Vietnamese players, that is a long journey for Coach Troussier. During the training session of the Vietnamese team in March, the French strategist had to remind some players for abusing long passes, instead of short passes.
Coach Troussier alternated the Vietnamese team with the U.22 team in March.
Five years ago, Coach Park Hang-seo was successful in training the U.23 team well, then promoted the U.23 generation to the national team to inherit the playing style. But now, most of the national team players have never been students of Coach Troussier. The U.22 players who understand Mr. Troussier's playing style very well cannot play a key role in the national team. Changing tactical thinking and playing system takes time, and the 68-year-old coach and his students must persistently pursue it.
But Coach Troussier's time is limited, especially at the end of the year when the Vietnamese team has to compete in both the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the 2023 Asian Cup. The level of a World Cup-caliber strategist will be tested with these obstacles.
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