Experts hope the U20 generation can change the face of V-League

There are still many concerns, but General Secretary of Hanoi Football Federation Phan Anh Tu still has hope in coach Hoang Anh Tuan's players after witnessing their journey at the 2017 U20 World Cup.

After losing 0-2 to Honduras, Vietnam had to stop at the group stage in the lowest position in Group E, with only one point, no goals scored and six goals conceded. The situation could have been different for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team, if they had scored in the opening match, a 0-0 draw with New Zealand. In that match, Vietnam played excellently, creating many opportunities but the strikers could not take advantage of them.

Vietnam left many good impressions at the U20 World Cup 2017. Photo: Duc Dong

However, Mr. Phan Anh Tu said that instead of feeling regretful, fans need to have an objective and realistic view."We are just representatives of Southeast Asia, the lowest football region in the world. We have to identify that first, to know who we are when we go to the World Cup," he told VnExpress.The most important thing is that the youth training system of Vietnamese football has made significant progress. The players have passed the Asian qualifiers to reach the world-class playground with confidence, that is already a success."

"We may regret the matches against New Zealand and Honduras because we could not take advantage of our chances, but that is class. When playing on a big stage, if we have enough class, we will seize the opportunity to turn it into a goal. Vietnam still lacks a bit of neatness in tactics, as well as in the competitive mentality. If that match was just a friendly, the result might have been different. But this is a big tournament, where all factors need to converge to create victory. We have to accept defeat, being at the bottom of the table because our class is lower," he added.

U20 Vietnam only got one point in this tournament, but that reflects the team's strength quite accurately. Photo: Duc Dong

In the past, when talking about Vietnamese football, most people thought that we have players with good technical qualities, and the only thing lacking is physical strength. But Mr. Tu has a different opinion, through this U20 World Cup."K"Only when we go out into the world do we know that Vietnam is not necessarily a team with good technique," he said."We are at a disadvantage in many ways, both in terms of technique and tactics, as well as in terms of stature and physical strength, so we have to calculate many things to defeat our opponents. However, in a playground like the World Cup, no tricks can make up for the gap in class."

"We lack calm shots and precise passes. Besides,we all lose in battles"The one-on-one disputes and the intensity of pressing have resulted in penalties and unnecessary fouls. We are still just taking home what is, and everyone knows what is. We try hard but have not reached the top competition standards," he commented.

*U20 Vietnam greets the audience after a 0-0 draw with U20 New Zealand

During the training period before the tournament, Vietnam only faced one really big opponent, Argentina. Many injuries also appeared during this period, leading to coach Hoang Anh Tuan not having some of the best personnel for the tournament. However, Mr. Tu affirmed:"Many people say this training session is short, or there are problems with the medical work, but I don't think so. All the best, including fitness experts, are given to U20 Vietnam. What we lack is accumulation. We can't naturally grow 5 centimeters taller. We have to prepare for future tournaments,to overcome the weaknesses of poor physical strength and poor stature".

Football, like Vietnamese people, needs accumulation, not sudden growth to become a giant. Photo: Duc Dong.

Reaching the World Cup finals, even becoming the first Southeast Asian team to score points in a world-class tournament, but according to Mr. Tu, we cannot rush to any conclusions."We have the right to hope for the SEA Games or the AFF Cup, but it's not easy," he said. "We have made progress and have good ways of doing things, but other football teams in the region also have their own ways of doing things. We need to make sure that when competing with Southeast Asian teams, like Thailand, our position is always 50-50. We need to face the reality that we have nothing outstanding in the region."

"However, in my opinion, this U20 generation has good accumulation and can withstand pressure in big tournaments. When they return, they will approach quickly, even progressing significantly compared to the previous generation..Through major tournaments like the U20 World Cup, they have been trained both mentally and competitively. I believe that this generation will be the ones who can change the face of the V-League."

According to VNE