What will U23 Vietnam gain from Doha Cup 2023?

Coach Troussier's testing of tactics, assessment of players' professional abilities, and review of the U23 Vietnam team's strength through the Doha Cup 2023 friendly tournament ended on March 29. What remained after the tournament was the disjointed defense and ineffective finishing of the U23 Vietnam team.

Not qualified enough

The modest height and rapidly declining physical strength of the central defenders caused the U23 Vietnam team to concede goals from both "air combat" and sprinting against opponents. Tran Quang Thinh, Vu Tien Long, Luong Duy Cuong and Phan Tuan Tai are the four pillars of the defense line that coach Troussier often uses in the 3-4-3 formation. Among them, central defender Duy Cuong stands out with his height of 1.8 m, much higher than his teammates. Looking more broadly, the U23 Vietnam team only has 4 players over 1.8 m tall, including 2 goalkeepers. The average height of coach Troussier's team training in Qatar is only about 1.73 m.

The Vietnam U23 team (right) needs to improve many things before participating in the 32nd SEA Games. (Photo: VFF)

Compared to the most recent generation of seniors, the current U23 Vietnam players do not have good physique and physical condition, are slow to catch up with modern thinking and initially do not have enough qualities to be able to respond to the ball control and proactive attack tactics from home built by Coach Troussier. That is also the reason why the U23 Vietnam strikers did not score any goals at this Doha Cup.

Coach Troussier is less fortunate than his predecessor Park Hang-seo when he does not have a generation of young talents who are professionally trained, have high professional skills and are known as the second golden generation of Vietnamese football. However, to achieve impressive achievements and create historical milestones, Coach Park Hang-seo's team also has to go through many difficult challenges, especially finding tactics and playing styles suitable for the level and physical condition of Vietnamese players.

Under coach Park Hang-seo, the Vietnamese national teams are not afraid of teams from West Asia. The defensive style of play imposed by the Korean strategist on his players has not satisfied viewers, but the smooth implementation of the "tight defense, quick counterattack" strategy has brought positive results, helping Vietnamese football reach new heights in the Asian and world arenas in recent years.

Find your identity

Coach Troussier has not been successful in bringing a "new breeze" to the tactical strategy of U23 Vietnam. The French strategist's football philosophy is considered modern, but that tactical thinking is still not suitable for his students who are still inexperienced in competition and have not reached their peak form and maturity.

Coach Pham Minh Duc said: "U23 Vietnam does not deserve to be criticized for the results of the Doha Cup because the team has not had much time to practice. Overall, U23 Vietnam is inferior in many aspects compared to its opponents in this tournament. Coach Troussier and his team need to face many strong teams like this to improve their professional level."

Assessing the quality of the U23 Vietnam team at the Doha Cup 2023, expert Doan Minh Xuong said that poor physical condition made Mr. Troussier's students inferior to their opponents in "air combat" and their lack of flexibility in movement led to a lack of sharpness in their attacks. This football expert also said that participating in international friendly tournaments such as the Doha Cup is an opportunity to help young players mature and an opportunity for the coaching staff to build a suitable playing style and find an identity for the team.

"We need to invest more in the national U23 team because they will be the core players of the national team. Every team is the same, after a successful cycle, they often stagnate. Therefore, renewing the personnel and tactics of the Vietnam U23 team at the present time is the right thing to do. It is time for Vietnam to innovate its playing style, find freshness and be more effective" - ​​Mr. Xuong further affirmed.

Meanwhile, coach Troussier was satisfied with the progress of U23 Vietnam despite his players losing all matches at the Doha Cup 2023. The French strategist praised the positive spirit in the competition and said that U23 Vietnam basically completed the goal of the training trip in Qatar.

The U23 Vietnam players themselves have not played much in the past 6 months. They are not in the best condition yet, so the Doha Cup is a place for them to experience and see their strengths and weaknesses. If they want to learn a big lesson, they will have to pay a high price" - Coach Troussier commented.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/u23-viet-nam-gat-hai-gi-qua-doha-cup-2023-20230329210853849.htm