According to former The Cong player Vu Manh Hai, coach Philippe Troussier made a mistake by underestimating the experience factor, causing Vietnam to be eliminated early from the 2023 Asian Cup.
Striker Nguyen Van Tung was injured after chasing the ball and was carried off the field in the loss to Indonesia on January 19. Photo: Lam Thoa
- In your opinion, what was the reason why Vietnam lost 0-1 to Indonesia in the Asian Cup group stage on January 19?
- There are several reasons that can be used to justify this defeat. Firstly, it must be admitted that Indonesia has improved by adding a number of naturalized players of Spanish and Dutch origin. The physicality and skill of these players help them to be able to press the entire field. However, Indonesia has not become a strong team to the point of completely overshadowing Vietnam. Therefore, I think this defeat should be evaluated from the perspective of our mistakes, not from anyone else. Obviously, there were inaccurate calculations from the approach to the playing style, personnel to in-game adjustments by coach Philippe Troussier and he must take the first responsibility.
Second, Vietnam suffered a loss in strength due to injuries to Nguyen Dinh Bac, Pham Tuan Hai and Nguyen Van Tung. These are all important individuals, but were overloaded, leading to their inability to participate or having to leave the match midway. But this once again shows that Coach Troussier misjudged his players' abilities. He had too high expectations for the young players, praising them more than their seniors. In reality, despite their efforts, these players did not know how to distribute their strength and could not show their best ability when facing tricky opponents. Perhaps Coach Troussier assessed the level of young Vietnamese players today on par with the generation of Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Hoang Duc. But such an assessment was wrong.
- After the match, coach Troussier said that the small mistake of central defender Nguyen Thanh Binh affected the team's results. What do you think about this statement?
- That excuse is acceptable. It's more like encouragement for Thanh Binh. Because above all, this failure belongs to the collective, not just him as an individual.
As for the technical aspect of the move that led to Indonesia's penalty, I think Thanh Binh did not handle it well. He should have just pulled the ball slightly to make his opponent lose balance and then let go. After all, the tournament has VAR. Players have to be very careful with every action, because even the smallest mistake can be detected. That move showed Thanh Binh's naivety. Partly because of his lack of experience.
Vietnam's loss to Indonesia.
- If you were in coach Troussier's position, how would you like to adjust in the match against Indonesia?
- I will not use too many young players, while experienced players like Do Hung Dung, Ho Tan Tai or Vu Van Thanh... have to sit out. That is very risky, and no coach dares to do it, except Troussier. In the Southeast Asian region, the level of football is quite similar, to have a squad like the U23 team playing the national team will definitely fail.
Therefore, I think Troussier is a bit conservative. In football, experience is very important. Players like me have fought a lot and are seasoned, so they will know how to adjust the tempo or gain the upper hand when fighting one-on-one with opponents like Indonesia. Here, I am not talking about skill level. Maybe, Troussier thinks that the level of veterans is equal to that of young players. But since he has called them up, he should trust them.
- Losing to an opponent that was once considered an underdog, who has not even beaten us once in the past five years, seems to make fans more upset than usual. How do you personally feel?
- Honestly, I'm very upset. I'm upset because Vietnam and Indonesia, more specifically Indonesia under coach Shin Tae-yong, have a deep hatred. When coach Park Hang-seo was still leading Vietnam, they only drew or lost convincingly. But this time it was the opposite. Vietnam played a disappointing match, completely outclassed. The opportunities we created mainly came when Indonesia slowed down the tempo to maintain the advantage and personnel.
Striker Nguyen Van Toan argues with Justin Hubner after being put on the field in the 72nd minute of the 0-1 loss to Indonesia. Photo: Lam Thoa
- Coach Troussier has mentioned the World Cup goal many times, is that why he has to make long-term plans and use young players from now on?
- Whether to use young players or not is Troussier's right. He is the head coach. But looking at the world , I don't think there is any team that dares to use all young players to shape the playing style, not to mention many of them do not have an official position at the club. Honestly, I have never seen such a thing. Previous Vietnamese coaches always looked for the best players.
I feel like what Coach Troussier says is a bit contradictory to what he does. For example, he said he doesn’t look at the face or the name of the player when choosing, he only cares about who is in good form. But in fact, there are many young players he chooses who have not yet played for the club. Using them too much would mean wasting the others.
From here, I think the problem of the team at this time is not only in the playing style, but also in the way of using people. Under coach Park, the Vietnam team has both young players and veteran players, forming a block and encouraging each other to move forward. Meanwhile, coach Troussier uses young players massively.
It is time for the Vietnam Football Federation to pay attention to the use of force in the national team. This is not only a matter of time after losing to Indonesia. Many people have warned since last year. I know the Federation is in a difficult position, because having signed a contract with Troussier, it has no right to interfere in professional matters. But certainly, not everyone is satisfied with the way the head coach has done things, it is just that no one dares to act decisively.
Quang Huy
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