The Vietnamese Olympic team failed to advance beyond the group stage of the men's football tournament at the 19th Asian Games. The young age of the players was the primary reason for Vietnam's inferiority compared to their opponents. The average age of the Vietnamese Olympic team was only 20.3. The three central defenders, Nguyen Duc Anh, Le Nguyen Hoang, and Nguyen Manh Hung, were all just 18 years old.
However, that wasn't mentioned as an excuse. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), coach Hoang Anh Tuan, and even Philippe Troussier chose this option and accepted the result, even knowing beforehand that the performance might not be good and would generate a wave of criticism.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan and many of her teammates were only 20 years old when they participated in ASIAD 19. (Photo: Hoang Anh)
In fact, the plan to field a U20 team as the core of the men's football tournament at ASIAD 19 was determined by the Vietnam Football Federation at the beginning of the year and approved at the Executive Committee meeting in April. This decision was made under the influence of both subjective and objective factors.
First of all, using a squad younger than the maximum allowed age is a major shift in the VFF's direction for developing its youth teams. The Vietnamese Olympic team at ASIAD 18 had only one player under 20 years old: Doan Van Hau. The entire squad that Coach Park Hang Seo brought to Indonesia consisted of players who met the criteria for being called up to the national team.
Also at that tournament, we saw the Japanese Olympic team participating with an U21 squad, many of whom were still part of the school football system. This is the direction of the Japan Football Association (JFA). Six players from the Japanese team that won the silver medal at the 18th Asian Games participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including the rising star of the English Premier League, Kaoru Mitoma.
Similarly, Vietnamese football is currently preparing a new generation of players. Players like Le Nguyen Hoang and Nguyen Duc Anh only participated in their first continental tournament in March of this year, wearing the U20 Vietnam jersey at the U20 Asian Championship finals. It's worth noting that although they didn't advance beyond the group stage, their performance, also under coach Hoang Anh Tuan, left a strong impression with two wins (they were only eliminated due to inferior tie-breaking criteria compared to the two very strong group winners). Of course, the U23 level is a completely different standard, and the failure at ASIAD 19 demonstrates that.
The second reason why the VFF decided to choose the U20 team as the core for ASIAD 19 is objective. The U23 players have begun to establish themselves in their clubs; they may not be "main players" yet, but they are part of the coaches' plans, such as Nguyen Van Viet, Ho Van Cuong (SLNA), Le Van Do (CAHN Club), Luong Duy Cuong, Tran Quang Thinh ( Da Nang ), and Nguyen Ngoc Thang (Ha Tinh).
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan has faced a lot of criticism, but that was expected.
The timing of the 19th Asian Games coincided with the start of the new season, and clubs wanted to retain their players. According to VTC News' investigation, even when deciding to select the U20 squad, Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and the VFF had to persuade the clubs to agree to secure the best players, and not all of them.
I'm mentioning these points to show that sending the U20 team to ASIAD 19, accepting the potential for failure (which actually happened), was not an irresponsible, careless decision by the Vietnam Football Federation. It was part of a long-term plan and a carefully considered professional approach.
This can be considered a "gamble" that the national team's professionals are taking. Naturally, they understand that failure will lead to a wave of criticism. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan, the players, and the VFF cannot avoid this. They will need perseverance and resilience to overcome this in the coming period and continue implementing their chosen plan. The development of the players and the achievements of the national team and the U23 Vietnam team in the coming years will answer the question of whether this "gamble" will be a win or a loss.
Han Phong
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