Expert: 'Vietnamese players need to fight for coach Troussier'

(Dan Tri) - Former coach of the Vietnam national team, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, assessed that coach Troussier's team plays very modernly, any change needs time, and believes in the future of the team.

*The match between Vietnam and Iraq will take place at 6:30 p.m. on January 24 at Jassim bin Hamad bin Abdullah Stadium in Al Rayyan (Qatar). Dan Tri will report the match live. In addition, according to coach Phan Thanh Hung, even when the Vietnam team lost 0-1 to Indonesia on January 19, coach Troussier's team still coordinated very well, creating clear scoring opportunities.

Coach Phan Thanh Hung (Photo: Hai Long).

Coach Phan Thanh Hung hopes that the young players of the Vietnamese team will maintain their spirit to play a good match against Iraq. Before the match with the West Asian team, Coach Phan Thanh Hung spoke with Dan Tri reporter.

Iraq is stronger, but the Vietnamese team has more reasons to be more determined.

How do you evaluate the relative ability between the Vietnamese team and the Iraqi team? - They are clearly stronger than us. The general level of Iraqi football is higher than that of Vietnamese football. If Iraq plays with their strongest squad and highest determination, Coach Troussier's team will have a very difficult time in the upcoming match.

Iraq has a better force than the Vietnamese team (Photo: AP).

But it is not certain that the West Asian team will use their strongest force, because they have entered the next round, they are not foolish enough to play too fiercely and face the risk of injury. They themselves also want to hide their cards to wait for their opponents in the next stages of the tournament. As for the Vietnamese team, how did we play in the past stages of this year's Asian Cup? - I will talk specifically about the match with Indonesia. In my opinion, the Vietnamese team played well, showing many new features. Good coordination, very fast transition, good ability to apply high pressure (pressing). In addition, the ability to control the ball of the whole team is still good as usual. Why do I say the team coordinated well, because we also created many clear scoring opportunities in the second half. The loss of the Vietnamese team against Indonesia was a loss in situation, not a loss in the game.

The Vietnamese team lost to Indonesia in terms of situation, not in terms of game position (Photo: AFC).

Could you explain more clearly why the Vietnamese team lost to Indonesia in terms of situation, not in terms of the game, sir? - The Vietnamese team's loss came from Thanh Binh's inexperienced foul, which led to a penalty. In my opinion, without that play, Indonesia would not have easily broken through Coach Troussier's net. If it weren't for that goal, I believe that in the second half, the Vietnamese team would have made it even harder for Indonesia. Because if there had been no goal in the first half, the whole team would not have fallen into a situation where they had to chase each other in the second half, would not have lost their composure and failed to finish off easy scoring opportunities.

Coach Troussier is the type of coach who dares to do and dares to take responsibility, and does not have the habit of blaming when he fails (Photo: AFC).

Coach Troussier dares to do and dares to take responsibility, placing absolute trust in his students.

That's the positive side, is there anything the team lacked in the last two matches? - The players lack experience. This is somewhat unfortunate for the current Vietnam team, when some of the team's pillars and some veteran players were injured before the tournament started. Due to the lack of experience, many positions on the field could not adjust their emotions when they were behind. We must also understand that Indonesia has also studied the Vietnam team very carefully after many times they failed against us. That's why they need naturalized players. Without a group of naturalized players returning from Europe, in my opinion, Indonesia cannot withstand the young players in the hands of Coach Troussier.

Experience is what is lacking in the current young players of the Vietnam national team (Photo: AFC).

Before the match with Iraq, do you predict any changes in the Vietnamese team in terms of personnel? - I think there will be changes. As for the specific changes, Coach Troussier is the most detailed person. Coach Troussier has calculated everything for each match, against each opponent. In my opinion, Coach Troussier's way of operating the game has many new features in a modern direction. It's just that all changes need time, Mr. Troussier needs time and needs to be trusted. The current results may not be as expected, but overall, the team is being renewed in a positive direction.

The Vietnam team is being renewed in a positive direction (Photo: AFC).

As for the players, did the loss to Indonesia affect the team's spirit, sir? - I think the players themselves still want to show their abilities. They have also seen how coach Troussier protects them. I see that coach Troussier is the type of coach who dares to do and dares to take responsibility. He does not have the habit of blaming, does not blame injuries, does not cling to objective reasons to explain his failures. Therefore, I hope the players will also fight for coach Troussier with the same spirit. The better the players play, the more they prove why coach Troussier chose them, and firmly defend them against criticism aimed at him. The current players all have potential, they are not playing badly. The important thing is the spirit, do not be discouraged at this time. A time like this is the time to fight the strongest. Thank you for the interview!