Football must have results, Coach Troussier should change

Amidst the wave of criticism, coach Philippe Troussier still believes that the Vietnamese team is on the right track in the long term. However, after the failure at the 2023 Asian Cup, the French coach must understand that he will not be able to reach the far-off destination if he does not "win" the patience and trust of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the fans and the players themselves.

Mr. Troussier is the highest-paid coach in the history of the Vietnamese national team. The target that VFF set for the 68-year-old coach is not a public story, but there must be an element of achievement. The investment must be in return for measurable results. For a football coach, the most important measure must of course be achievement.

Vietnam team 2-3 Iraq.

In this respect, it can be said that Coach Troussier did not achieve the first KPI. The Vietnamese team came to the 2023 Asian Cup with the goal of passing the group stage. What the players showed in all 3 losses showed that they could have done better. Coach Troussier himself admitted that. However, the final result was failure.

The public is right to be worried and angry enough to demand the dismissal of coach Troussier. Of the three teams that defeated Vietnam in the 2023 Asian Cup, Iraq and Indonesia were in the same group in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

This is the second KPI milestone of the French coach with the Vietnamese team. If he loses to Indonesia in the next match in March, the French coach will consider the whole campaign a failure.

It should be added that the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are "easier" than the 2023 Asian Cup group stage, because apart from Iraq and Indonesia, the Vietnamese team does not have to compete with Japan. Instead, it is the Philippines. Therefore, without comparing with the achievement of its predecessor in reaching the final round, not getting past the group with 2 Southeast Asian teams is already an unacceptable failure.

After what happened at the 2023 Asian Cup, Coach Troussier understands that the next two matches of the Vietnamese team are challenges that he cannot afford to lose. There are still some fans who support Coach Troussier and the VFF is still patient with the French coach, but perhaps that trust has decreased significantly.

Coach Philippe Troussier faces a lot of pressure.

The only way for Coach Troussier to "buy" more time for himself to aim for the long-term goal is to improve his performance on the field. There is no more time for the 68-year-old coach to talk about potential and progress every time he fails. The Vietnamese team has had enough "acceptable" losses. Coach Troussier has to win.

The latest statements from this military leader show that he understands that.

"We play football to achieve results," the French coach told his players before leaving Qatar to return home. The Vietnamese team had some commendable performances against Japan and Iraq - the continent's top teams, but still lost.

Mr. Troussier also said one more sentence to his students: "If the results are more positive, people will think differently." This sentence shows that the 68-year-old military leader understands the value of a great victory at this time, and desires it.

This is not just a matter of "buying time" to reduce pressure and delay the risk of losing his job. There is another thing that Mr. Troussier needs to win to keep. That is the confidence of the players.

The Vietnamese team had moments of good play against strong opponents, but that was not enough.

Coach Troussier wants to rebuild the Vietnamese team from a mindset. To do that, he must convince the players to believe and take solid steps on the path he has outlined for them. However, if they keep playing well, meeting the requirements but still cannot win in the end, then it will all be just "pie in the sky".

That was the reason behind Coach Troussier's emotional celebration when Nguyen Dinh Bac scored the winning goal for Vietnam 2-1 against the Philippines. It was the only win for Coach Troussier and his team in between 8 defeats since October 2023.

The French coach mentioned the story of trust when talking about that moment. Now and when the Vietnam team returns in March, a victory is just as valuable. After so many philosophical stories, about the process, it is time for coach Troussier to "wake up" and think about something more practical. That is achievement football.

It is not the "acceptable" losses but the victories that help him keep his seat and continue dreaming. If coach Troussier does not change, he will be replaced.

Han Phong

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