'Soft' draw
U.23 Vietnam is in a group with U.23 Uzbekistan, U.23 Kuwait and U.23 Malaysia. Compared to previous finals, the group of coach Philippe Troussier and his team is currently within their strength.
There is a strong opponent (Uzbekistan), a seemingly equal "unknown" (Kuwait) and an underdog team (Malaysia). It is a balanced group, favorable for U.23 Vietnam to set a target score for each match, right from now.
U.23 Uzbekistan is the strongest opponent in the group, with 1 championship in 2018 (defeating U.23 Vietnam in the final) and the runner-up position just won in 2022. Uzbekistan youth football is making remarkable progress, when the U.17, U.20 and U.23 teams all won or finished second in the continent.
U.23 Vietnam's match table
Facing this opponent, the possible goal for Mr. Troussier and his team is 1 point, similar to having to face U.23 Korea in the 2022 U.23 Asian Cup.
The focus of the group stage will be on the two matches against U.23 Kuwait and U.23 Malaysia. Compared to other West Asian youth teams such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq or Qatar, Kuwait is clearly at a lower level. U.23 Kuwait has participated in the Asian tournament twice, both times being eliminated in the group stage, not winning any match, drawing 1 and losing 5 out of 6 matches played.
U.23 Malaysia has participated in the tournament twice, once reaching the quarter-finals (in 2018) and the other time being eliminated early (in 2022) when in the same group as U.23 Vietnam.
Of course, youth football is full of unknowns, and the surprising ticket to the U.23 Asian Cup final nearly 6 years ago of U.23 Vietnam is an encouragement, but also a warning for Phan Tuan Tai and his teammates.
The rule of "the strong win, the weak lose" is often easily broken in youth tournaments. In the 2024 AFC U23 qualifiers, Vietnam U23 had to work very hard to beat Yemen U23 with a score of 1-0 at home. Kuwait U23 is even better than Yemen U23, with good physique and fitness.
U.23 Vietnam plays "hard" in Asian qualifiers
In addition, the fact that there is only one strong team in the group (Uzbekistan) also creates a mental leverage. U.23 Vietnam, U.23 Kuwait and U.23 Malaysia obviously understand that the opportunity to continue is within reach, when the strength of the three teams is not too different from each other.
Coach Troussier and his team are well prepared, and so are their opponents. The matches in Qatar next year will be unpredictable, requiring the whole team to have a reasonable strategy for each match.
Mr. Troussier's belief
"The group of U.23 Vietnam players have accompanied me for the past 9 months, accumulating battle experience in many different tournaments, both at the national team and youth team levels. Some individuals were used in the two recent World Cup 2nd qualifying matches, with high difficulty and pressure.
Thanks to such continuous preparation and accumulation, I believe the players and the entire team have the confidence and foundation to be ready to face the upcoming challenges," affirmed coach Troussier.
In the group of 15 players most used by Mr. Troussier in the national team, there are 4 names belonging to the U.23 Vietnam team. They are Tuan Tai, Thai Son, Minh Trong and Dinh Bac. The first 3 names have starting positions, while Dinh Bac is a favorite reserve player.
In addition, Van Khang, Van Tung, Thanh Nhan, Van Cuong are used at many levels. It is a "transplant" of youth with experience to prepare the future generation.
Bui Vi Hao is one of the talents who must work hard to get a place in the final round of the U.23 Asia.
The image of Tuan Tai crying after the Vietnamese team's defeat to Iraq showed regret and helplessness, when youth cannot make up for the gap in skill level. Coach Troussier himself was also doubted when he eliminated many veterans to make way for young stars, even though these players have not proven to be as good as their seniors.
However, for Tuan Tai and other young players, the sweat and tears shed in the recent difficult matches are very valuable experiences. At the age of 20, the "backbone" of U.23 Vietnam has faced the teams of Korea, Uzbekistan, China and Iraq.
Of course, playing against strong teams does not necessarily improve the level. But the experience of facing the "peaks" of the continent will train the mentality and spirit of Coach Troussier's young stars to be more seasoned and steadfast. Especially when this generation of players has very limited opportunities to play in the V-League, and has missed many international tournaments in the past 2 years of the pandemic.
In addition, the fact that some U.23 players were called up to practice with (but on the list of) the national team shows that Coach Troussier has been thinking about the Olympic dream for a long time.
The World Cup qualifying round is still too much for young players, but in the U.23 Asian tournament, believe that U.23 Vietnam will create special things.
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