The Asian Cup and the challenge of raising its profile.
(Baonghean.vn) - Watching the recent high-stakes match between two top teams in the continent, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Group C of the 2023 Asian Cup, it was clear that Iran's superior physique, fitness, and inherent class allowed them to completely dominate the game.
The Iranian team won all three matches in the group stage and are a strong contender for the championship, as many people already know.
Let's look back at the statistics from the 2023 Asian Cup to better understand this noteworthy story. In the ongoing continental tournament, the Iranian team boasts the best average height at 183.8 cm, while Vietnam has the lowest average height at only 175.4 cm. In terms of weight, Iran also has the best average at 73.9 kg, and Vietnam ranks third from the bottom at 71.7 kg, while Thailand has the lightest squad at 69.6 kg. Clearly, the Vietnamese players will face immense difficulties when their opponents play aerial balls. As for Vietnam conceding goals from low, ground balls, that's another story, involving speed, coordination, and overall teamwork.
Of course, it's worth adding here that, despite being the heaviest team in the tournament, the Iranian players moved seamlessly and gracefully between attack and defense, handling each ball with incredible fluidity. In contrast, a comparison between the Vietnamese and Thai players reveals that our players are clearly heavier and less fluid than our neighbors…
Previously, when trying to find the most suitable playing style for Vietnamese football, people often said that the "strength" of smaller, lighter players was their agility and quick reflexes, which could be used to counter and neutralize taller, slower players. However, reality on the pitch shows that these are vague and unfounded assumptions. Football is a high-intensity physical game for 90 minutes and beyond, requiring quick, precise maneuvers in tight spaces and the exploitation of open areas. To achieve this, players need speed, the ability to accelerate over short and long distances, endurance, and resilience… frankly, these are qualities largely unfamiliar to players in the region in general and Vietnam in particular.
Not just once, Mr. Troussier has stated frankly that V-League players only perform as required for about 70 minutes, with the rest being wasted time, slow ball distribution, walking, and all sorts of other tactics to prolong the game, leading to a chaotic and drawn-out match. Currently, in the Vietnamese national team, only young midfielder Thai Son typically runs an average distance of around 10 km per match, comparable to players in the English Premier League. This also explains why the French coach called for the V-League to improve its quality, as a basis for selecting personnel for the national teams. Furthermore, in a long tournament, younger players can meet the requirements better than older players who may have experience but not necessarily the physical fitness or desire to contribute.
And it's not just the Vietnamese national team; South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong of the Indonesian national team also set very high standards for his players before this Asian Cup. He emphasized that they shouldn't "run more than they think," that they must "learn from Messi," that "he doesn't just look at the ball, he also pays attention to what's happening around him," and that "observe, think, move, shoot. Play football like that." Most recently, this coach continued to make "unrealistic" demands, such as each player having to run a minimum of 11-13 km per match, and ensuring continuous running for 4 consecutive club matches before being called up to the national team…
This shows that the demand for raising the bar is urgent and stringent for any national team, especially in Southeast Asia, if they want to go far in a continental tournament like the Asian Cup. Because if they don't raise their bar and set difficult, unrealistic goals like the ones mentioned above, they will ultimately remain stagnant.
It's also important to support practical approaches and sound opinions regarding youth training, the quality of the V-League, sending young players abroad to compete, and attracting players from overseas Vietnamese communities to truly accelerate and improve the quality of Vietnamese football. By observing others and reflecting on ourselves, we will see that Vietnamese football is facing a complex and challenging situation, and the ups and downs of each match and tournament will continue for a long time. We cannot be hasty or short-sighted as we have been for a long time.
