Is the 'injury storm' in the Vietnam National Team really serious?

It is true that the Vietnam National Team has many injuries, it is true that many stars have had to say goodbye to the team, it is true that many veterans from the 2019 Asian Cup will not travel to Qatar this time. But that does not mean a comprehensive personnel crisis in the Vietnam National Team.

The crisis, if you still want to call it that, only happened in... the second squad of the Vietnamese team, meaning the group of players who did not play, the group that was less important. The main force of the team, the best players, the players who best suited the tactics of coach Philippe Troussier were almost all present.

In goal, the news of Van Lam's injury is certainly a shock to fans. But remember, Filip Nguyen has appeared. Experts probably agree on the difference between these two goalkeepers. And if Van Lam had not been injured, he would have had difficulty defending his number 1 position.

The same thing happened to the Vietnamese team's three defenders because Bui Tien Dung and Nguyen Thanh Chung were actually substitutes under Troussier. The three main players Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Thanh Binh and Phan Tuan Tai will all go to Qatar. Among them, Ngoc Hai's recovery is very good news for the French coach. As long as this trio is strong enough to fight, reserve players like Do Duy Manh, Giap Tuan Duong or Bui Hoang Viet Anh are more than enough.

The real loss for the Vietnam team is only at the left-back position, where Doan Van Hau has a long-term injury and cannot return to the Asian Cup. This is also the position that worries Mr. Troussier the most because the main player Vo Minh Trong (22 years old) is too young while another option, Do Thanh Thinh, is not of good enough quality.

The remaining positions on the right wing (Vu Van Thanh) and midfield (Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Tuan Anh) all have the most satisfactory players as Mr. Troussier wishes. The attack line is even more impressive when Golden Ball candidate Pham Tuan Hai and veteran Nguyen Tien Linh both maintain high performance. Behind them, a permanent position is reserved for Nguyen Quang Hai, who Mr. Troussier has repeatedly praised publicly and has finally found inspiration after a few impressive V-League matches recently.

In short, the Vietnam team only has one major loss in Van Hau's position. Losing a key player before a major tournament is still a pleasant thing for coaches. In the past, the Vietnam team of Mr. Park Hang Seo or his predecessors suffered much heavier losses.

The loss of the reserve team may be exaggerated through numbers and media stories. But the real loss is negligible because this is just a reserve team, rarely used.

We should be more frank that, with the current form, the Vietnam team will hardly go far. Reproducing the quarter-final performance at the Asian Cup 4 years ago is already a brilliant result. The shorter the tournament, the fewer the number of matches, the more cautious the coach needs to be, the higher the stability of the main squad and the lower the chance for the reserve team to do the same.

The personnel crisis is therefore not the problem of the Vietnam National Team. Ultimately, the ability of Quang Hai and his teammates in 90 minutes is what we need to care about.