Vietnam women's volleyball team coach gives good news about Thanh Thuy, worries about 'strange' match time

Thanh Thuy regains top form

Before the Vietnamese volleyball team's debut, the information that fans were most interested in was the physical condition of hitter Tran Thi Thanh Thuy after competing in Japan. Talking to Thanh Nien reporter, head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet brought peace of mind. "When Thanh Thuy played in Japan, I closely followed her and noticed that she was in very good physical condition and competitive spirit. I assess that Thanh Thuy has now reached almost 100% of her peak performance 2-3 years ago, before she was injured," Mr. Kiet affirmed.

The strong return of "garden crane" Thanh Thuy is a positive signal for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. This not only encourages the team's spirit but also ensures the firepower for the Vietnamese team in the journey to conquer the 33rd SEA Games.

HLV đội bóng chuyền nữ Việt Nam báo tin vui về Thanh Thúy, lo ngại giờ đấu 'lạ'- Ảnh 1. — Before returning to join the Vietnamese women's volleyball team for the 33rd SEA Games, Thanh Thuy played with great form in Japan for the Gunma Green Wings Club.

The problem of match time frame

Although falling into Group B is considered to be an easy match, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team faces another challenge, which is the match schedule. Accordingly, the team will have to play at very strange times. In particular, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet emphasized a difficult scenario: "In the group stage, the Vietnamese women's team will play at the following times: 3 pm, then 12 pm. Meanwhile, in case Vietnam wins the group, we will play the semi-finals at 10 am. In volleyball, as in Vietnam's national tournaments, matches are usually played in the afternoon. That is a problem for the coaching staff to calculate how to help Vietnamese athletes adapt to their biological rhythms and catch up with the match in the best way."

Striker Thanh Thuy regains top form, coach worries about… unfavorable match schedule

Evaluating the opponents in the group stage, the captain of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team said that both Myanmar and Malaysia are not too worrisome, because they have been absent from the SEA Games for quite a while and are in the process of rebuilding a new generation of players.

HLV đội bóng chuyền nữ Việt Nam báo tin vui về Thanh Thúy, lo ngại giờ đấu 'lạ'- Ảnh 2. — Tran Thi Bich Thuy (left) is also playing for Okayama Seagulls Club, competing in the Japanese volleyball championship.

However, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team is not complacent. The goal set by the coaching staff is to win each match and win first place in Group B, thereby creating the best psychological momentum and position when entering the more intense semi-finals - where strong opponents are waiting.

On the morning of December 9, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team had their final training session before officially embarking on their journey to conquer the SEA Games. In the opening match, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team will face Myanmar at 3 p.m. on December 10.

According to the women's volleyball match schedule posted on the SEA Games 33 homepage, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team will face Malaysia at 12:30 on December 11, before playing the final match of the group stage against Indonesia at 10:00 on December 12.