Admitting 90% loss to Japan, Coach Troussier still dreams of Vietnam team making a miracle

Coach Troussier answers questions about the Vietnam team.

According to coach Troussier, criticism from public opinion is the motivation for the Vietnamese team to try harder. The French coach does not consider it pressure.

"The only pressure is the pressure on the players on the training ground," he said. "A lot of people don't like me, or the players, but I don't care much.

I only care about the technical aspects and the performance of the players. The past is the past, the present and the future are mysteries that we look forward to.

The fact that many people do not support us only motivates us to be more determined and do what we want to do. The players understand and respond with the highest determination for the country. We are very united. With such solidarity between teachers and students, I believe we will achieve the best results."

Some players take painkillers to play.

Coach Troussier: "The list we sent to AFC was requested by the organizing committee. We had to send a preliminary list of 26 players from January 2. I also wanted to include Tien Linh and Ngoc Hai. This list does not mean much. On January 13, the new list will be decided.

Regarding Hoang Duc, the last time this morning, when we did the injury test, he showed signs of a lot of pain. Duc is only in the treatment stage of the pain, but has not yet rehabilitated with the doctor and physical therapist.

Hoang Duc can only practice normally at the end of January. Tien Linh and Ngoc Hai are even longer. They need more time to rest. I have talked to Duc Chien, Hoang Duc and some injured players. In the past, they had to take painkillers to play at the club. This is the problem."

"The goal of the Vietnamese team is to play one match at a time, passing the group stage first. The match with Japan has a 90% chance of losing but only one chance of getting a point, or even a win. Who knows, it could be the match on January 14th.

In addition, the match with Indonesia is pivotal, deciding the ticket to the next round. 4 years ago, the Vietnamese team passed the group stage thanks to 1 win and 1 fair play point, so luck must go hand in hand in the upcoming tournament.

We have experience with the Iraqi team in the World Cup qualifiers. I believe the players have learned a lesson about their opponents to deal with in the match. I hope they will play hard in all circumstances," Coach Troussier said about the goal of the Vietnamese team.

Coach Troussier wants the Vietnamese team to play proactively: "All three opponents are strong. The match with Indonesia will not be easy at all. I want the players on the field to be proactive in their approach, not passive in any situation. Being passive means waiting for their mistakes, waiting for a moment of brilliance, a free kick to score. Those factors are part of football, but I want the team to increase their control.

To do that, they must be confident in controlling the ball. They dare to play confidently so when the opponent chases them, they will not easily lose.

The players are used to the club's style of play when there are foreign players. However, this is a national team and there are no foreign players. In addition, they play domestically so it is not easy to surpass their level immediately. If Vietnamese players change according to the method I propose, with talent, technique on the field and confidence, they can do many things."

Coach Troussier affirmed that he does not favor young players just to change the Vietnamese team's strength. The list of players going to Qatar to prepare for the Asian Cup includes some U23 players such as Nguyen Van Viet, Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Bui Vi Hao, Phan Tuan Tai...

"I evaluate the players' ability based on their qualities on the pitch, evaluate their legs and then invite them to look at their faces, whether they are old or young. The people here fit my criteria such as physical condition, connection, spirit and attitude... For good players, it doesn't matter if they are old or young. If they are good, they will still be good regardless of their age. I don't give players opportunities because they are young," said Mr. Troussier.

Coach Troussier faces a lot of pressure. (Photo: Kim Chi)

Coach Troussier did not want to mention the difficulties or worries about injuries.

"Each selected player has their own contribution depending on their role. I arrange many formations, tactics and have choices depending on the opponent and the nature of the match. I have worked with many players for the past 8 months. I believe that in case of any injury, someone else will replace them. This squad going to Qatar is the most reasonable squad at the moment. I don't want people to see these as replacement players, second-rate players. I consider these to be first-rate players of Vietnam," said the head coach of the Vietnam team.

In addition to the 25 players in the AFC list announced this morning (Hoang Duc was just removed from the list), Coach Troussier will bring Le Ngoc Bao, Nguyen Van Truong, Le Van Do, Bui Vi Hao and Pham Van Luan.

"Since December 28, the team has not had any injuries. The injuries all happened before they joined the team this time. The players are determined to perform. The medical team is working at full capacity to ensure the players are in the best physical condition and to train with their teammates in the near future. I think only 2 players in the injury team are capable of participating in the matches at the Asian Cup, the rest will not recover in time," said coach Troussier.

The two players who recovered from the injuries that Coach Troussier mentioned were Duy Manh and Tuan Anh. The last injury case that was just removed was Hoang Duc. The French coach intended to send the midfielder from The Cong Viettel to Qatar, but the medical team determined that he could not participate in the group stage matches.

"This training camp is aimed at the Asian Cup starting on December 28, including U23 players and a few over 23 players. The second group includes players who have been playing regularly for their clubs since the beginning of the season. I gave them a few days off.

The Vietnamese team trained with about 60 players. As the head coach of both teams, I give opportunities to players from both teams with the same philosophy and training method," Coach Troussier opened the press conference.

The French coach talked about the "storm" of injuries in the Vietnamese team: "In the last round of the V.League before the team gathered, there were some injuries. I asked some players to gather earlier so that the medical team could check their injuries and discovered that some players had been injured for a long time.

In some other milder cases, we have to predict how far the recovery will go, whether they will be able to compete in the Asian Cup or not. This group is training with the medical team and will be able to compete soon."

Hoang Duc will not attend the Asian Cup.

On the afternoon of January 4, Coach Troussier decided to remove Nguyen Hoang Duc from the list of the Vietnamese team participating in the 2023 Asian Cup. This was a last-minute change by the French coach because before that, the The Cong Viettel midfielder was still on the list registered with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Hoang Duc did not recover from his injury in time, forcing coach Troussier to let him leave the Vietnamese team.

List of Vietnam team participating in Asian Cup 2023

(Provisional list registered with AFC)

Goalkeepers: Nguyen Filip, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, Nguyen Van Viet

Defenders: Do Duy Manh, Vo Minh Trong, Ho Tan Tai, Giap Tuan Duong, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Pham Xuan Manh, Phan Tuan Tai, Vu Van Thanh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Khuat Van Khang

Midfielders: Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Truong Tien Anh, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Hai Long, Nguyen Quang Hai, Le Pham Thanh Long, Trieu Viet Hung

Forwards: Nguyen Van Toan, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Van Tung

Vietnam team lost force

Coach Philippe Troussier was interviewed before the Vietnamese team left for Qatar to participate in the 2023 Asian Cup. The French coach faced a lot of pressure after the unconvincing matches of the national team and U23 Vietnam in 2023.

The challenge for Coach Troussier and his team in the upcoming tournament is huge. The Vietnamese team is in a group with Japan, Iraq and Indonesia. The chance of competing for one of the top two positions in the group with the two strongest teams in Asia is not high.

The Vietnamese team suffered losses due to injuries.

The Vietnamese team suffered many losses. Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Tien Linh, Nguyen Duc Chien, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Hoang Van Toan and the player called up as an additional player, Bui Tien Dung, all withdrew due to injuries sustained at their clubs.

Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Tuan Anh and Do Duy Manh have not recovered yet. However, they can return in time to compete in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup. Therefore, coach Troussier is still patiently waiting for the above 3 players and will most likely send them to Qatar.

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