U22 Vietnam has a future, not like everyone thinks

"This generation of players is different from what many people think. They have potential, and if they are well taken care of, they will have better results," said coach Philippe Troussier after the match where U22 Vietnam lost to U22 Indonesia in the men's football semi-finals of the 32nd SEA Games.

The French coach predicted the wave of criticism aimed at his players after the defeat. He recalled 2019, when he took charge of the U19 Vietnam team with the same group of players. At that time, they were criticized as a generation without a future, after losing to U19 Cambodia in the Southeast Asian tournament.

U22 Vietnam 2-3 U22 Indonesia

"I know there are many people who say they are not good, there is a lot of criticism. When I took charge of this generation of players before, I also heard bad comments but still led them. Up to now, I have no regrets. I understand that many people think this generation does not have outstanding individuals, but if properly trained, they can play positively," said coach Troussier.

In the semi-final match against U22 Indonesia, U22 Vietnam fell behind twice and equalized twice. Coach Philippe Troussier's players had the advantage of having more players in the last 30 minutes of the match but could not finish off their opponents. On the contrary, U22 Vietnam suffered a bitter defeat in the 6th minute of extra time.

Coach Troussier defends his students: U22 Vietnam has a future, not like everyone thinks - 1 — U22 Vietnam disappointed after losing. (Photo: The Son)

"It must be admitted that at this SEA Games, U22 Vietnam suffered some undeserved losses. With all these individual mistakes, I think the players will need more time to improve their individual skills. Many players lack combat experience. We have to accept the mistakes," the French coach explained.

U22 Vietnam lost the match and clearly revealed their weakness in experience. However, coach Troussier looked at the problem in a positive way.

"Despite losing by 2 goals, the whole team continued to play hard, ignoring mistakes to equalize. I think these mistakes can be improved if viewed positively. When they had the ball, the players did well. I believe they will do even better in the future," said the head coach of U22 Vietnam.

"Today the team was behind twice, both times they equalized. The players showed their bravery in difficult times. They created scoring opportunities through their play. Losing at the last minute like that, I can only say that our team is very young, with many U20 players and their experience and bravery are not enough to make more reasonable decisions at the end of the match. We have to pay the price to learn the lessons."

Phuong Mai (From Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

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