"It's gold, it's not brass / Don't try the fire but it hurts" - Yes, the golden generation of Vietnamese football created in the past 5 years is basically still here, still the mainstays of the clubs (Club) V-League. But because football never stands still, because the goals of each period are different, the golden generation must also pass the "golden fire test", must practice to create new quality.

“Bamboo is not old but bamboo shoots have grown” can happily refer to the fact that our generations of players are now a fairly large team. Coach (coach) Troussier has a thick capital in both quantity and quality, both experience and youth. If he has firmly grasped the ability of a young generation to still maintain their faith in them through the Doha Cup and the 32nd SEA Games, then this test hopes to have positive results to multiply faith in the players. veteran player.

Vietnam U22 team.Photo: VIET AN 

It's a pity that important players like Quang Hai and Cong Phuong who are serving clubs in France and Japan are not allowed to play. Likewise, striker Tien Linh - the main striker of the national team and Becamex Binh Duong has not been able to score during the 8 rounds of the V-League 2023. There are too many reasons to talk about the weak performance in the competition. The performance of these players, but what is their performance like? That is the reason why it is necessary to test the performance and resilience not only in some cases but also in all players, including those who are playing well.

Unlike Coach Park Hang-seo who created the national team on the basis of the beautiful U.23 youth who won the Asian runner-up, only adding a few older players, Coach Troussier has a large number of players. The player is at maturity. According to him, the new construction process will increase about 30-40% of the number of children. Towards the 2026 World Cup and beyond, the 2030 World Cup, it is inevitable to bring more and more young elements into the team. In the immediate future, the majority and the core are of course still contemporary faces. 

Conspicuous in the defense and midfield, a series of players are still in high form and reliable. Not only that, among them there are people who are taking steps to improve. Van Thanh is versatile and has a better finish. Hoang Duc is not only good at controlling the ball, escaping pressing, but participating in attacks and scoring goals is also more effective. Chau Ngoc Quang and Tuan Anh are also more resilient and sharper than themselves. On the attack, Pham Tuan Hai recently played well; If Van Toan, Cong Phuong, Tien Linh are not summoned or are not really determined to find themselves, it is very difficult to have the main kick position. This is what Coach Troussier has calculated. He has clearly shown his intention to use young people, so Nham Manh Dung still has a chance. More importantly, he targets the youth of U.23 and younger with hopes of Van Tung, Quoc Viet, Van Truong, Van Khang, Thanh Nhan...

At the same time, having to distract and clone for the two friendly soccer teams in June, I don't know how the "white witch" will handle it. Just know that every member of the national team must try to present themselves to create trust with the new teacher and the public. For them, even though they are seasoned, now is a new beginning, they must be worthy of their seniors.

THUONG NGUYEN