Change requires trade-offs.

Young people need space to express themselves.

"When players are young, if you don't give them a chance to play, how can they have a chance to break through when they reach 22 or 23?" said a coach who once led Vietnam's youth football teams to the World Cup. He also encouraged Vietnamese teams to use young players more, giving them more opportunities and platforms to showcase their professional abilities.

Under coach Troussier, the Vietnamese national team features a mix of experienced players and young players with a future-oriented vision.

The above statement is perhaps true and reasonable at the present time, given what Coach Troussier has been building and finding the right direction for Vietnamese football. When he took over the Vietnamese national team, the stars under Coach Park Hang-seo were still at their peak. If he had used that same core for the six friendly matches and one official match in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, the "white wizard" wouldn't have faced so much pressure in the past eight months. However, the French coach wanted to choose his own path, so it's not surprising that he created a gradual, "slow but steady" personnel revolution. Some names that were almost guaranteed places under Coach Park, such as Cong Phuong, Thanh Chung, and Tan Tai, gradually faded into obscurity. And then, "rising stars" like Thai Son, Dinh Bac, and Van Cuong gradually emerged from the shadows.

Young people gradually mature.

Eight months ago, when Thai Son was included in the first training camp of the Vietnamese national team under coach Troussier, many questions were raised about the professional ability of the midfielder from Thanh Hoa FC. But after eight months, the midfielder born in 2003 has earned Troussier's trust. Thai Son has more or less proven his worth, and at this rate, he will likely be the midfield maestro of the Vietnamese national team in the future.

Van Toan, Tuan Anh - the senior generation in the Vietnamese national team.

Thai Son (center) is gradually proving his talent.

Besides Thai Son, younger teammates like left-back Minh Trong and striker Dinh Bac have also gradually proven their worth when given opportunities, playing and developing their skills alongside quality veterans, such as Thai Son partnering with Tuan Anh, Minh Trong teaming up with Tuan Tai, or Dinh Bac being mentored by Van Quyet and Van Toan.

Over the past eight months, Coach Troussier has had to make many sacrifices, facing pressure from both fans and experts. But if he hadn't dared to make those sacrifices, how could Vietnamese football now have "new stars" like Thai Son, Van Cuong, and Minh Trong, who are playing with increasing confidence and consistency alongside their more experienced teammates who have honed their skills through numerous major and minor tournaments?

Time will tell.

The Vietnamese national team has only had one victory in an official tournament under coach Troussier. Young talents like Thai Son, Van Cuong, and Minh Trong are still in the process of improving themselves before becoming key players in their current positions. Every experiment needs time to prove itself. That is the most accurate measure of whether Troussier's changes were right or wrong.

Van Cuong, Van Lam, Tuan Tai (from left to right)

But with the goal of qualifying for the 2026 or 2030 World Cup when the number of participating teams is increased to 48, it seems that Coach Troussier's strategy of rejuvenating the squad is gradually proving correct and aligns with the general trend of world football. Because by that time, if Thai Son, Van Cuong, or Minh Trong have truly matured, they will be the ones to lead Vietnamese football to the biggest event in the world of football.

Of course, we cannot overlook the role of veterans like Van Lam, Tuan Anh, Van Toan, Hung Dung, and Hoang Duc. They are the bridge in the transition process. Thanks to the value of these "veterans," the new "rising stars" can develop comprehensively in terms of professional ability, experience, and battlefield prowess.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-muon-thay-doi-buoc-phai-danh-doi-185231119222911169.htm