Coach Troussier kills two birds with one stone

One of the disadvantages highlighted for coach Philippe Troussier during the June national team training camps is the "multitasking" situation. The French coach is responsible for the Vietnamese national team preparing for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, while also leading the U23 Vietnamese team towards the 2024 U23 Asian Championship qualifiers.

Managing both the national team and the U23 team is not a new challenge for coaches before Troussier. However, working simultaneously with two teams, each with different personnel, tasks, and objectives at the same time, remains a significant challenge.

Coach Troussier works with the players.

At this point, Coach Troussier's choice was to merge the two teams into one. The "White Wizard" asserted that the boundary between the Vietnamese national team and the U23 Vietnamese team only existed on paper. He decided to unify the two teams in every aspect, from training grounds and playing style to coaching staff and tactical exercises. The Vietnamese national team trained together with the U23 Vietnamese team, with no professional distinction between the two teams.

Coach Troussier's ambition is clear. By arranging for the two teams to train together on the same "platform," the 68-year-old strategist also leveled the playing field in terms of their respective goals. The Vietnamese national team is training for the 2026 World Cup, and the U23 Vietnamese team is essentially doing the same, but in a bridging role, they are becoming a reserve force, ready to replace their seniors at any time. They are all starting from the same point. The player who is more determined and meets the requirements better will be given a chance.

The fact that the two teams share everything from coaching staff and living quarters to specialized training sessions shows that Mr. Troussier wants to give the U23 Vietnam team the feeling that the players are capable and qualified to compete on equal footing with the national team players.

Vietnamese players need to be wary of the competition from their younger counterparts in the U.23 team.

This is killing two birds with one stone. For the Vietnamese national team, the players will feel the competitive pressure and the daily progress of the younger generation most clearly, thus giving them more motivation to fight to maintain their position. As for the U23 Vietnamese team, training and learning from the older players every day is a valuable lesson, because Troussier's young players don't often get to play in the V-League, and they don't always have the opportunity to directly compete against more experienced senior players.

Coach Troussier also selected players in an unconventional way, mixing the 58 players from both teams for evaluation, then choosing two groups. Group 1 would participate in the match against Hong Kong, while Group 2 would play friendly matches against Hanoi Police FC and Hai Phong FC. Afterwards, based on the players' performances, Coach Troussier would shuffle the players between the two groups and then select the optimal group for the match against Syria.

Compared to the original plan of the Vietnamese national team playing friendly matches against Hong Kong and Syria, and the U23 Vietnamese team playing friendly matches against two V-League teams, the French coach's decision to divide all the players into groups 1 and 2 will create a more intense and competitive atmosphere. In this group, talented U23 Vietnamese players who perform well may be promoted to group 1 to play alongside their senior teammates, while players who, despite wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey, do not put in the effort may be moved to another group.

The new recruits are trying to "score points".

Instead of separating the Vietnamese national team and the U23 Vietnamese team with different training programs for different tournaments, Coach Troussier is molding the best players within a single system. Thanks to this, the "White Wizard" can create a force of elite, competitive players who are imbued with his philosophy across different age groups, thereby selecting the best squad to pursue both short-term and long-term goals.

In theory, prioritizing the overall team's goals before individual ones in training is the right approach. However, how effectively this is implemented depends on the quality and effort of each player, as well as Coach Troussier's unwavering commitment to his playing philosophy. With the pressure to achieve results in each tournament being so high, any deviation could jeopardize the overall plans of the national teams.

Therefore, being cautious and thorough right from the preparation stage is a good stepping stone for Coach Troussier to continue planning, at least for the next six months.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/mui-ten-trung-hai-dich-cua-hlv-troussier-18523060817151678.htm