Why did Mr. Troussier 'shuffle' the Vietnam team with 50 players?

The preliminary list of the Vietnam national team for the 2023 Asian Cup will have 50 players. According to the regulations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), participating teams can register a maximum of 50 players in the preliminary list, then choose 23 official names. Coach Philippe Troussier took advantage of this regulation to call up to nearly... 5 squads to the national team.

This is the largest number of players the French coach has ever called up. Even when preparing for the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup or before that, three friendly matches, Coach Troussier only called up about 32 to 35 players, then gradually screened and eliminated them.

The preliminary number of 50 players for the training camp towards the 2023 Asian Cup has two meanings. First, by selecting only half of this number for the official list (23 people), it means that all players are in a 1-on-1 situation to be selected.

Vietnam team prepares to gather for Asian Cup 2023

For every two players, Mr. Troussier only picks one. With a rejection rate of approximately 50% for each player, almost no player is guaranteed an official place in the tournament, let alone a starting position. This is the kind of "reserve" motivation that forces players to make an effort to find a position.

Calling up a large number of players and then gradually eliminating them, without ensuring a starting position for anyone, has been Coach Troussier's familiar training method over the past 10 months.

But at the Asian Cup, which is a short-term tournament that requires high concentration and has a much lower chance of correcting mistakes than the World Cup qualifiers, the "White Witch" wants to push the competition to an even more intense level.

The final 23 names on Mr. Troussier's roster must be the 23 players who pass the most difficult test. This is a philosophy of personnel selection that contrasts with the predictable stability under Coach Park Hang-seo, when the roster, even the starting lineup, usually revolves around a group of about 12 to 15 players.

However, calling up to 50 players to "try out" once again also shows that coach Troussier probably has not yet shaped the framework.

Coach Troussier wants to continue testing his students

There are still players who were eliminated in the previous screenings who will be called back for further evaluation. On the contrary, there will be names that were previously regular starters, who may no longer be able to stay. The door to the Vietnamese national team is always wide open, but also closed fiercely by the unpredictable calculations of the French coach.

The cases of Van Thanh and Tien Anh are proof. Van Thanh was once called up, then removed from the Vietnam national team's friendly matches in September and October. The defender born in 1996 was then called back for the second qualifying round of the World Cup, and started both matches against the Philippines and Iraq.

On the contrary, Tien Anh is a rare player who played in all 6 friendly matches of the Vietnamese team, but was suddenly removed from the squad before the first 2 matches of the 2nd qualifying round of the World Cup.

Coach Troussier's use of players in the past matches has been very unpredictable. He left out Hung Dung and Hoang Duc to give opportunities to Thai Son and Thanh Long in the midfield. Midfielder Van Quyet was selected to play 45 minutes against the Philippines, but was then removed from the squad for the match against Iraq.

Veteran center back Tien Dung was called up to the national team, but did not get to play a single minute, and had to sit on the bench for Phan Tuan Tai. Young players like Dinh Bac, Thanh Nhan, and Van Khang played continuously, even in difficult matches.

Pressure mounting on Mr. Troussier?

Even when entering the official tournament, Coach Troussier still swapped players continuously. The only "constant" in all 8 matches of the Vietnamese team was the request of the French strategist.

Confidently hold the ball, develop the ball sequentially at home, try to increase the amount of control and launch coherent, intentional attacks. This is the "issue" that Mr. Troussier has talked about for a long time. The player who has enough technique and level to control the ball well, as well as enough energy to put pressure on the whole match, will be selected.

However, not all players can fully meet these very difficult requirements. There are players who can only perform well at certain times. That is why Mr. Troussier is still hesitant and wants to "shuffle" the team again until he is satisfied.

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