On the Road of Mr. Troussier

Up until those final seconds of injury time in the match against Iraq, coach Philippe Troussier's young players not only held their ground well, despite having gone through a few tense situations earlier, but also played confidently, strongly, and with composure in the final part of the second half. However, a lack of concentration at the moment when everyone was waiting for the referee's final whistle, and the inexperience of the young players, caused a point to slip away.

Coach Troussier and the road ahead is still full of obstacles.

The year 2023 ended with regret for the Vietnamese national team, after two official matches and eight months of experimentation by the French coach. Unsurprisingly, there were many opinions regarding his personnel choices for the two matches against the Philippines and Iraq, particularly his exclusion of key players like Do Hung Dung and the leading candidate for the 2023 Vietnamese Golden Ball, Nguyen Hoang Duc. Even more surprising was that immediately after the loss to Iraq at My Dinh Stadium, many considered Coach Troussier's decision not to use Hoang Duc as a reason for the defeat.

In fact, not using Hung Dung or Hoang Duc is a big "gamble" that Coach Troussier has taken, is taking, and will probably continue to take. He won that "gamble" on the field in Manila (Philippines), and almost pulled off a surprise at My Dinh Stadium. Whether the loss to Iraq will change his stance under public pressure remains to be seen, but his statements after the match show he is very loyal to the path he has chosen. When Coach Troussier said Hoang Duc must "work harder and contribute more to the team," we can understand that the issue is not only about the unsuccessful experiment of Duc in the false striker position, but perhaps also about off-field issues. It shows the extreme risk a coach can take, and which shore the national team's ship can reach, when the line between success and failure is sometimes just a matter of seconds.

Mr. Troussier and his colleagues

Mr. Troussier is steadfast in using young players, pursuing a completely new direction and philosophy that he has been implementing. The inevitable comparisons to Coach Park Hang-seo's five years of success and numerous trophies haven't fazed him. In the two matches, he fielded almost the same starting lineup and placed absolute trust in the young players. He brought on young players in the second half of the match against Iraq and encouraged them to attack with a desire to win, rather than just holding on to avoid defeat. This has brought about a completely different style compared to his predecessor and he is not afraid of any criticism or negative feedback.

A year of Vietnamese football under coach Troussier has passed, and it seems there are still many unanswered questions. The path Troussier is heading down is clearly new, but also bumpy and full of obstacles – and of course, the destination is still very far away. The beginning of 2024 will be a new battle, for the Asian Cup and the issues raised at the end of 2023, including the story of Hoang Duc!

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/tren-con-duong-cua-ong-troussier-185231123222852453.htm