The story of pressure to perform in football.

(Baonghean) - Thus, an undesirable, even unexpected, event occurred with the Vietnam U22 team. From being a team leading the group and playing impressively, we played "like a team without soul" in the match against Thailand U22, leading to silly mistakes, gifting Thailand U22 3 goals, and exiting the SEA Games in the group stage in astonishment and disappointment..

Several reasons have been cited for the bitter defeat of the Vietnam U22 team against Thailand U22. Domestic and international media, as well as experts, believe that a lack of mental and physical strength, along with bad luck, led to Vietnam's humiliating 0-3 loss in their final Group B match.

The Vietnam U22 team "defeated themselves" against Thailand U22 due to the pressure of winning the gold medal. Photo: Internet

The defeat of the Vietnam U22 team also sparked outrage among many fans, who used harsh and critical language towards the coach, players, and VFF leaders. Some even went overboard, insulting and hurling abuse at the players' personal social media pages, without offering any sympathy for this forgettable defeat or giving our young players a chance to "get back on their feet" after their fall.

Amidst the public outcry, and despite often making harsh comments about the team, Coach Le Thuy Hai this time offered a very understanding perspective: “U22 Vietnam lost to Thailand and were eliminated. I am very sad, and I think everyone is sad about this result. Our players have been in a state of shock for too long. But this is a reality we must accept, and I think the press and the public should encourage the players.”

Many other experts argue that our excessive expectations for the SEA Games gold medal have placed a heavy psychological burden on the young players.

The fans are putting considerable pressure on the young players. Photo: Internet.

However, we lack the necessary understanding and empathy for our players and our regional rivals. As a result, our praise and criticism often lack impartiality, negatively impacting the players' morale before matches. This was one of the contributing factors to the recent failure of the Vietnam U22 team.

It's very disappointing that a generation of players considered the best in Vietnamese football history, expected to win a SEA Games gold medal, were eliminated in the group stage. However, I think at this time we should show more understanding towards the coaching staff and the entire U22 Vietnam team rather than resorting to harsh criticism.

Would that really make things better, or would it just be a fleeting moment of glee? And then no one would dare step forward to lead the young players who had participated in the U20 World Cup, and to be fair, they had moments of brilliance at the SEA Games 29. Perhaps bad luck and the harshness of the sport prevented them from having the opportunity to correct their mistakes.

Despite having to leave the SEA Games 29 in disgrace, many believe that we don't need a major overhaul of our football system yet. Instead, we just need to change our customs, habits of thinking, and mindset – the obsession with achieving results – and Vietnamese football will have better opportunities elsewhere.

Because we have potential, especially in youth football which is developing quite well, but we shouldn't place too much expectation and pressure on young players to achieve results and win medals, causing them to "lose control of themselves" when they go on the field and hand victory to the opponent.

Duc Dung