Coach Diego Giustozzi is pleased with the "test" against the Afghanistan futsal team.

Coach Diego Giustozzi and his staff. (Photo: VFF)

Through these matches, head coach Diego Giustozzi highly appreciated the professional value of these "tests," while also highlighting the specific physical requirements, experience, and competitive spirit that the team needs to further improve before entering the continental arena.

Commenting on the two recent matches, the Argentinian coach said that this was an important opportunity for the coaching staff to better assess the team's actual capabilities.

“The two matches against Afghanistan showed us areas for improvement as well as the team's capabilities. I have no doubt about the players' technical skills, but we can't just rely on technique. We need to be more aggressive, more experienced, and understand every situation on the field,” coach Diego Giustozzi shared.

He emphasized that facing Afghanistan – a team that had previously participated in the Futsal World Cup – was particularly important in the process of raising the team's level. "Afghanistan participated in the recent World Cup, so this is the level we need to aim for. I'm pleased that after these matches, we can clearly define our goals and know what we need to improve," he said.

According to coach Diego Giustozzi, the recent series of training matches not only served to check form but also provided direction for the next phase of preparation.

“When playing against Southeast Asian teams like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, or Myanmar, the physical and technical levels are somewhat similar. However, when facing other opponents in Asia, who have different physical fitness and playing quality, we are forced to raise our standards. These two matches have helped me better understand how to work in the coming days to prepare for matches against opponents of that level,” said the head coach of the Vietnamese futsal team.

Vietnamese futsal players are working hard to prepare for the tournament taking place at the end of January. (Photo: VFF)

Regarding the return of Tran Thai Huy and Chau Doan Phat after injury, Diego Giustozzi expressed his satisfaction that the players have been able to play again and are gradually regaining their match fitness.

“I’m very happy that they got the necessary playing time. Thai Huy surprised me; although he wasn’t at his best, he played very confidently and without fear. Doan Phat needs more time, but I saw clear progress from the first to the second match. Step by step, we need them to be ready for the Asian Finals,” he assessed.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese futsal team will depart for Indonesia on January 24th to participate in the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship. Before departure, head coach Diego Giustozzi will finalize the official list of 14 players.

At the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship, the Vietnamese futsal team is in Group B along with highly-rated opponents: the reigning Asian runner-up Thailand, Kuwait, and Lebanon. This is considered a highly competitive group, requiring coach Diego Giustozzi and his team to be thoroughly prepared in terms of physical fitness, tactics, and competitive spirit if they want to achieve their goals in the tournament.

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese futsal team will play against the Kuwaiti futsal team at 5 PM on January 27th at the Jakarta International Velodrome (Jakarta).

Two days later, the Vietnamese futsal team will face Lebanon at 1 PM on January 29th, continuing their competition at the Jakarta International Velodrome.

In their final group stage match, the Vietnamese futsal team will face the reigning Asian runners-up, Thailand, at 3 PM on January 31st at the Indonesia Arena (Jakarta).

HUY AN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hlv-diego-giustozzi-hai-long-voi-phep-thu-truoc-doi-tuyen-futsal-afghanistan-post938310.html