Vietnamese football is nothing in Asia but must dream of participating in the World Cup

"It is impossible to think that the Vietnamese team will participate in the World Cup just because they beat the Chinese team last year. Mentioning the dream of participating in the World Cup is to help Vietnamese football expand its vision further. Vietnamese fans must see that Vietnamese football is nothing in Asia, and that winning the Southeast Asian championship is not enough," reporter Ma Duc Hung (China) quoted coach Philippe Troussier in an interview published on Sina.

The French coach is facing a lot of pressure after three consecutive defeats of the Vietnamese team. The defeats against China, Uzbekistan and South Korea, combined with the poor performance of the youth teams recently, have made many fans more skeptical about Coach Troussier's ambition to participate in the World Cup.

Vietnam team 0-6 Korea

The head coach of the Vietnam national team explained: "Vietnamese football must have a dream. Based on my experience working in Vietnam, I feel that Vietnamese players are very disciplined, can concentrate when working and are very determined. To develop, Vietnamese football must have a dream.

I have this dream because I hope Vietnamese football and Vietnamese fans can realize one thing. That is, Vietnamese football is developing well, but only within Southeast Asia. At the Asian level, Vietnamese football still has a big gap.

It is impossible to think that the Vietnamese team will participate in the World Cup just because they beat the Chinese team last year. Mentioning the dream is to help Vietnamese football expand its vision further. Vietnamese fans must see that Vietnamese football is nothing in Asia, and that winning the Southeast Asian championship is not enough. But I believe that Vietnamese football will one day represent Asia in the World Cup."

Coach Troussier wants the Vietnamese team to change their playing mindset to aim for higher goals.

Vietnam’s defeat in three friendly matches in October was not a surprise. China, Uzbekistan and South Korea were all at a superior level. Many fans were unhappy with the way Vietnam played with coach Troussier’s ball-control philosophy, but the French coach insisted there were positives to be gained from the defeat.

" I don't put pressure on the players. I made it clear that the important thing about the trip to China and Korea is not the result but the way of playing. The goals conceded in the match against China were elementary mistakes. However, we must see that the Vietnamese team controlled the ball 65% and 83% of the passes were positive. That is passing the ball, not meaningless cross-kicks and back-kicks.

In addition, we had nine shots - the most in a match since I took over. Although the team's performance was not at its best, the data I gathered from the match was promising. The players will be more confident," commented Mr. Troussier.

The head coach of the Vietnam national team once again emphasized that the Vietnamese team is in the process of adopting new thinking and methods. He emphasized the factor of experience and learning in the friendly matches before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers taking place in November. The important thing is that the players learn lessons from the losses against strong opponents.

" I want the players to realize that the three opponents this time are all of high class. They will feel how high the level of Asian football is. To compete at the World Cup, the Vietnamese team needs to overcome opponents like this.

In theory, Vietnam losing to these opponents is a normal result, so I don't want to put pressure on the players. The only pressure is how to make it difficult for the opponents in the 3 matches, how to control the ball better. We are not negative, not conservative, nor afraid, but moving forward in a more positive way, " Mr. Troussier emphasized.

Hoai Duong

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