Vietnam women's volleyball team did not give their all to play against China

The Vietnamese team won the right to enter the semi-finals of the 19th ASIAD women's volleyball. Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team are waiting for the final matches of the two groups today (October 5) to determine their opponents in the next round - Thailand or Japan.

This is the first time Vietnamese volleyball has had a representative enter the semi-finals of the ASIAD. To prepare for this historic match, Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his students need to make calculations. The team still has a formal match in the group stage at 6pm tonight, against China.

The Vietnamese women's volleyball team needs to calculate their physical strength for the semi-finals. (Photo: AVC)

The Vietnamese team is unlikely to give their all in the match against a team of superior skill. The players need to save their energy for the semi-finals. Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet did not hesitate to admit this intention, right after his team won yesterday (October 4) in the match against the North Korean team.

"We did not use all our strength but focused on the last two matches, especially the match against the group winner on the other side. These are the matches that directly affect the team's ability to compete for medals. Even if we put in 100% effort, it will be difficult for the Vietnamese team to have a good result against China," said the head coach of the Vietnamese team.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Kiet's assessment is consistent with reality. The Chinese team is the number 1 team in Asia, ranked 6th in the world on the FIVB women's volleyball rankings. At the 19th ASIAD at home, they used their strongest force, including the full squad of stars who just competed in the qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Thanh Thuy and her teammates showed signs of fatigue after competing in many consecutive tournaments.

Winning a game against this opponent is also a very difficult task for the Vietnamese team, even when the opponent uses a backup lineup. In the semi-finals of the Asian Championship that took place not long ago, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and her teammates tried their best to have an acceptable performance, worthy of recognition for their efforts but still lost 3 games to China (using the B lineup).

This rematch is in a very different situation. The Vietnamese women's team has determined that they cannot compete for the top spot in the group. The goal that coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team are aiming for is the semi-final match and the medal match.

In addition, conserving energy is necessary in the context of the Vietnamese team showing signs of rapid fatigue. Continuous competition this year helps Thanh Thuy and her teammates maintain their competitive state and form, but also increases the accumulation of fatigue. In the victory over North Korea, the Vietnamese team clearly showed signs of fatigue compared to their opponents in the last two rounds.

In the context of needing to calculate for a further goal, the Vietnamese team not giving their all in the match against China is a reasonable calculation.

Phuong Mai

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