Get up and keep fighting not just for the bronze medal

U.22 Vietnam stopped at the semi-finals of SEA Games 32 against U.22 Indonesia in the most cruel scenario: having an advantage of more men, finding an equalizer, but squandering the opportunity and then being punished in extra time after the opponent's counter-attack. Playing with more men but still losing, that is the aftertaste that made the defeat of coach Philippe Troussier and his team even more bitter.

This was also the first defeat of U.22 Vietnam after 6 years of being undefeated in the SEA Games. It was also 6 years of witnessing Vietnamese youth football being full of titles in the Southeast Asian playground with 2 SEA Games gold medals, 1 U.23 Southeast Asian championship. However, there was a low point in this period, when U.18 Vietnam lost to U.18 Cambodia in the 2019 Southeast Asian tournament. That defeat fell into oblivion, in the flow of success of U.22 Vietnam, of at least two generations of talented players following each other, bringing glory in succession.

U.22 Vietnam stopped

This U.18 team, mainly the 2001 generation of Phan Tuan Tai and Huynh Cong Den, was transferred from coach Hoang Anh Tuan to coach Troussier. The French coach took over this team and trained it continuously for nearly 2 years through short-term training sessions. There were times when the French coach called up 40 or 50 players to avoid missing out on talent. 2 years later, the U.20 Vietnam team passed the U.20 Asia qualifiers, and this generation of players, after many rounds of selection, became the U.22 Vietnam team to participate in this SEA Games.

Coach Troussier has one last battle at SEA Games 32, competing for the bronze medal with the Myanmar U22 team.

After the defeat against U.22 Indonesia, Coach Troussier recalled the time when he took over the team after the loss to the Philippines to emphasize: this is a generation of players who are doubted about their level and ability to inherit the success of the older generation. Comparisons between generations of players are common in football. Mr. Troussier and his students cannot stop fans from doubting and comparing. The job of U.22 Vietnam is to prove it with effort on the field and bravely face defeat, accepting the "scars" both physical and mental, which are painful but inevitable on the path to maturity.

U.22 Vietnam has tried hard, but as Mr. Troussier mentioned, the gap in real combat experience with less than 20 top matches in the past 6 months cannot be filled with just a few training matches before the tournament. Until the match against U.22 Indonesia, U.22 Vietnam was still in a state of both playing and correcting. Coach Troussier used the strongest lineup right from the first match against U.22 Laos. That is, unlike his predecessor, Mr. Troussier did not hide his cards or hide his troops. Partly because of limited forces, but the rest is because with young players, they have to go out on the field with all their might, and correct any mistakes.

U.22 Vietnam could not control the game despite having one more player.

Defensive gaps, indecision of attacking players, haste in handling the first move, impatience even when having the advantage,... these are the main shortcomings that Mr. Troussier saw in U.22 Vietnam. U.22 Vietnam made many mistakes in previous matches, but the dense competition schedule (6 matches in 14 days) only gave them time to recover, instead of correcting each mistake. The situation where U.22 Vietnam players held their faces in regret when conceding a goal, even though they had 3 minutes left to try to find an equalizer, showed their immaturity in their competitive mentality.

However, the path to forming a strong mentality lies in the two words "real combat". Mr. Troussier's students have lacked this element of real combat for a long time, although there are still opinions that this generation of players is not in the starting lineup because they are not good enough. But like the story of whether the chicken or the egg came first, you have to compete continuously to have enough basis to evaluate a player's ability. U.22 Vietnam needs matches like U.22 Indonesia to break the lesson. The more painful the defeat, the more valuable the experience.

The most important thing, Mr. Troussier mentioned, is how to deal with failure. Let the pressure bury you or stand up to correct your mistakes. That is also the turning point to determine which player can become a star, and which player will just stop at the average level. Failure is something that cannot be changed, but which path to choose is the job of U.22 Vietnam.

Get up and keep fighting

"U.22 Vietnam needs time to perfect their skills because the players lack practical experience, especially in domestic tournaments. That is football. Returning to the mental aspect, although U.22 Vietnam lost by 2 goals, they tried very hard to ignore their mistakes and equalize. With these mistakes, if viewed positively, they can improve, even in terms of playing style. I do not blame the players, because football has wins and losses. After today's match, I think that this generation of players, unlike many people think, they have potential and in the future they can achieve better results," said coach Troussier.

The players need more playing opportunities, more youth matches, etc. These are the aspects that can follow this tournament. However, in Coach Troussier's long-term plan for Vietnamese football, the SEA Games will not be the final destination. The young players still have a long way to go. So let's stand up and be stronger to overcome today's sadness.

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