Coach Dinh Van Dung: Not every year does SLNA 'have' Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh

PV:Hello Coach Dinh Van Dung, first of all, congratulations on your 5-1 victory over U21 Long An. How do you evaluate this match? What are the points that you are satisfied with and are still not satisfied with?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“Honestly speaking, in the first 15-20 minutes, U21 SLNA had a chaotic formation and did not play well. U21 Long An also had many players who played very well, causing many difficulties for SLNA’s defense. We were not subjective and did not rate Long An highly.

Round 1,U21 SLNAThe game was not clear, but in the second half, the players did a good job of penetrating the opponent's flanks. In many situations, SLNA players still did not take advantage of the opportunity and finish as desired. The same goes for the other team. If the other team had scored first, the situation would have been different.

This year's SLNA U21 team is a combination of U17, U19 and U21 players. Photo: Ba Tuan

PV:Obviously, U21 SLNA is also rated higher thanks to the players from the front line. What do you think about the performance of the players who were reinforced from the SLNA first team such as Van Viet, Ngoc Anh, Sy Hoang, Thanh Lam in the U21 SLNA shirt up to this point?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“Those players are called SLNA team 1 players playing in V.League, but they are actually just reserves for the team 1, not official players and playing regularly.

Honestly, the players have not met my expectations. I want the players to play better than their real abilities. They need to prove themselves in the absence of two good players, Dang Van Lam and Thai Ba Sang."

PV:With 4 points after 2 matches and facing U21 Viettel who has 6 points, what do you think about the upcoming match as well as your assessment of the quality of the U21 Viettel squad? In your opinion, who are the strongest candidates to go deep in this year's tournament?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“Getting this match over with also makes us feel a little lighter. When we meet U21 Viettel, we still have a chance to play defensively to get 1 point, so the task might be easy. I think Viettel doesn’t have to struggle, because defeating us won’t solve any problems. I think in the next match, we can play more easily.

The quality of U21 SLNA this year is not as high as previous years. Photo: Organizing Committee

The Viettel U21 team has many players who have worked with me at the Vietnam U19 team for many years, such as Nham Manh Dung, Tran Tien Anh, Minh Binh, Huu Thang... They are a very even team compared to the U21 tournament. This year, I highly appreciate Viettel, Pho Hien and Nam Dinh. Especially Nam Dinh has 6-7 players reinforced from the above team. When losing, they play very calmly and show no signs of being confused."

PV:In this tournament, U21 SLNA has a very special player, Dinh Xuan Tien, who started 2 matches and scored 1 goal. How do you evaluate the prospects of this player?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“This year I boldly sent 3 17-year-old players, because they performed well in the National U17 tournament and in this U21 tournament I need people who can hold the ball to create opportunities for the front line to score.

Even though I'm only 16-17 years old, I seeDinh Xuan Tienvery potential and very hopeful if I know how to cultivate myself more, I will become a good player in the future. I myself am a very good student, obedient, like to listen to the coach and willing to learn.

Midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien is a young talent who was lucky enough to play early at the U21 SLNA level. Photo: Archive

PV:It is easy to see that this year's U21 SLNA is a gathering of the best players from the U17, U19 and U21 teams. What is your overall assessment of the quality of the SLNA squad in this year's tournament compared to previous years and the team's goals?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“Honestly, this generation of players is not as good as the previous generation. But the fiery spirit and determination are still things that need to be praised. Many players have played in the Second and Third Division but are not suitable for my playing style, so I still put them on the bench. Although they do not have much time to bond with each other, playing like this is also a great effort.

You have to execute the tactics well, if you just play by instinct it will be very difficult. At this age, in this tournament, there is no player who really stands out. If we had Van Lam and Ba Sang or more options, we would set high goals. However, with this force, we do not have too many ambitions. We will play as much as we have."

PV:In 2020 and recent years, SLNA youth football has emerged as the best training center in the country with many championships. As a professional, what do you think is the reason for this success of Nghe An youth football?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“I am the deputy head of the professional department, assigned to find young talents in the regions of Nghe An. We currently have many centers and amateur talent classes at the base located in 21 districts, towns and cities. A class like that has about 25-30 students, we select a few students to enter the SLNA training center.

Before coming here, the players have been trained systematically, and the coaches at the lower level are also regularly trained in knowledge and skills. It is just a pity that SLNA is poor, otherwise everything would be much better. Nghe An is a land of football, and most of the players are from rural areas.

Coach Dinh Van Dung is a veteran in youth training. Graphics: TK

Here, if they play football well and mature, they will earn a lot of money to help their families. Most recently, there are Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh, and their success is an example for the younger generation to strive for. Of course, if only 3-4 players can do that each year, it is already very good. Not always.SLNAThere are also such players.

Midfielder Phan Van Duc admits fierce competition in Vietnam National Team

(Baonghean.vn) – In an interview during the training session of the Vietnam National Team on December 14, midfielder Phan Van Duc revealed that he and his teammates had to practice more in the evening to improve their physical strength. The SLNA player was also modest about his position in the Vietnam National Team after a long period of injury.

PV:SLNA usually has good results in the U11, U13, U15 and U19 age groups, but recently in larger, higher-level playgrounds such as U19 and U21, SLNA often faces more difficulties. What do you think is the reason for this?

Coach Dinh Van Dung:“I think football cannot always be as desired. If we focus on the U19 and U21 SLNA tournaments, the lower levels will be disappointed. Football has a generation of players from U11 to U15 who are very good and still very good at the higher levels. There were years when I led the U19 SLNA team to compete and continuously won the right to enter the final round because that generation of players was of good quality and had a lot of experience.

This year, the thing that makes us most regretful is that we do not have the budget to compete in the National U15 and U17 Cups even though the quality of the team is very good and has good results. The diet of SLNA young players is also much lower than that of the visiting team. However, the best thing in Nghe An is that the parents are very supportive of their children playing football.

PV:Thank you for comingthese shares. Wish U21 SLNA success in this year's tournament!

Review the great goals U21 SLNA scored against U21 Long An

(Baonghean.vn) - The match between U21 SLNA and U21 Long An in the second round of Group B saw many beautiful goals from young players from Nghe An such as Dinh Xuan Tien, Thai Bao Trung...