What did coach Miura say about Vietnamese football, Vietnamese players and Vietnamese people?

This is an interview by coach Toshiya Miura with the pay TV channel Jsports last October, revealing many of his views, football philosophies and personal views on the football environment in Vietnam, as well as his feelings about his time working as head coach of the Vietnam National Team.

The interview was conducted at the J-Green Sakai training center, where the Vietnamese team was stationed during their training trip to Japan in October. We would like to translate and respectfully send it to our readers.

“V-League is a terrible tournament”

First, could you tell us about the process of taking office as head coach of the Vietnam national team?

- I was informed that the Vietnam Football Federation is looking for a coach for the national football team through Honda, the team's sponsor, and through that I know that the Federation welcomes Japanese coaches. However, the contract signing process is very difficult, stemming from salary issues or something that I do not know.

Up to now, the Vietnam Football Federation has only contacted experienced coaches in the Bundesliga and the Portuguese first division, with remuneration suitable to their background. Those coaches are changed every six months due to the demands of the Vietnam Football Federation. Therefore, this biennial AFF Cup tournament is important, unlike Japan which aims for a tournament every four years.

Coach Toshiya Miura said that V-League still has many points that need to be improved.

When you came to Vietnam, what was your strongest impression of this country's football?

- To be honest, V-League is a terrible tournament. The players on the field do not run, the tournament management is also sloppy. The match starts at 5:00 pm on a hot field. This has its reasons. One is because 2 or 3 matches are broadcast on TV at the same time. Two is because at 7:00 pm there is a news program so the match cannot be organized. In general, the broadcast time frame cannot be guaranteed.

Watching today’s match (the friendly match between the Vietnam national team and the Japanese student team in October – Sports & Culture), I saw that although the players were often offside, they still had the awareness to pass the ball. After taking over as the coach of the Vietnam national team, did you train the players in this skill?

- I trained the players to connect with each other when defending. But it was really terrible. The players played like Brazilian football. Because the football principle is 5 defenders and 5 attackers, I had to say “no” to their habits. It is interesting when players play football in Southeast Asia when they are offside.

In Japan, players don't get into that kind of situation. Here, when attacking, players move slowly with the ball on their own, based on their individual technique, so I made sure to remind them to pass quickly after just 1 or 2 touches.

Do you feel the great influence of mass culture on Vietnamese football?

- This is indeed true. I think watching Vietnamese football will help you understand what mass character is like.

"Cannot compare with Vietnamese people in terms of passion for football"

How was the men's football tournament at the 2014 ASIAD held in Korea, sir?

- I thought that the Vietnam Olympic team would not win against Iran, but thanks to the good leadership of the players, we had a positive result. This is also the answer to my predictions. If the Vietnam team passes the round of 16, they will meet the DPRK in the quarterfinals.

And at that time I also wanted to see what the team could do when facing teams in East Asia. We could have won the match against UAE, although in reality we lost. Originally, I thought we could compete fairly with the Middle Eastern team on neutral ground, but there were some starting points from the players that made me reconsider.

The enthusiasm of Vietnamese fans is what surprised Mr. Miura.

Is there an important tournament for the Vietnamese team in November, the AFF Cup?

- This is a very exciting tournament, like the World Cup of Southeast Asia. I heard that in 2008, when Vietnam won the championship, it normally took 20 minutes to go from the stadium to the hotel, but that day it took 4 hours. I think the passion for football of the Vietnamese people is completely incomparable to Japan. If the team wins, the atmosphere will be extremely enthusiastic.

How is your life in Vietnam now?

- There are about 10 thousand Japanese people in Hanoi. Therefore, there are also Japanese restaurants ready to serve Japanese food. Because I am the coach of the national team, the treatment is completely different (VIP treatment). The Vietnam Football Federation informed me that I do not need to drive myself, and provided a driver and a private car.

My driver was stopped 5 times for traffic violations, but the driver said: “This man is the coach of the national team”, so the traffic police let it go. In addition, when I went with the team to the stadium, there was also a police officer to guide me. In Vietnam, motorbikes are everywhere, so I was also advised not to go around. I think being the coach of the Vietnam national team is really special!

Have you been in Vietnamese media many times?

- There aren't that many interviewers writing articles, but I've heard that I've been featured in the media. But even if I watch those programs, I still don't understand them because I don't know the language. When I get home, because I can't watch Japanese TV, I only watch Football TV, also to update information, and review my interviews. Matches or information related to the national team, the Olympic team, the U19 team, and the V-League tournament are all shown on TV.

Can you tell us about the most relaxing moments in your life these days?

- When I have free time, I watch football and suddenly understand something more. Vietnamese people in general do not like to criticize, so they are similar to the Japanese in that they do not like conflict. I feel happy because of that common point. Lunch in Vietnam also feels more leisurely compared to the way Japanese people eat boxed lunches, bought from fast food restaurants, and then eat in about 15-20 minutes.

During lunch, everyone drinks beer. Real beer. After lunch, it’s nap time. Everyone takes a nap for about an hour. This is a habit from childhood. The same goes for this habit at the company. VFF starts working at 8:30, but everyone arrives at work from 8:30 to 9:00; lunch break from 12:00 to 14:00. And work ends at 16:30.

One assistant told me he wanted a better chair, and I thought to myself, “If you want a better chair, then work.” That’s the way life in Southeast Asia feels. The average person finishes work around 5:00 PM.

"Must strive to participate in the World Cup and Olympics

Did the Southeast Asian style gradually seep into your habits?

- In life, I still cannot change my original lifestyle, so there is no other way but to slowly change my schedule. This is also a must. Because the match schedule also changes frequently. When I asked Mr. Tashima Kohzo - Vice President of the Japan Football Federation "Is this okay?", he replied: "Okay, no problem."

Random question, are you happy right now?

- This is the first time I have led a national team, so I am also deeply interested, because the national team level is different from the club level. I also completely did not know about the men's football tournament at the ASIAD, so the good thing is that I can watch teams from many countries compete. I have watched European and Japanese football, so I feel that Asia is indeed large, with many national teams, but the level is still not comparable to Japan and Europe.

Instead of the AFF Cup championship or SEA Games gold medal, coach Toshiya Miura believes that Vietnamese football needs to aim for bigger goals.

It seems that you want to put all your efforts into leading the Vietnamese team?

- All in all, my current workplace supports me a lot. In the future, I realize that the Football Association does not aim to participate in the World Cup or the Olympics, so the more I lead, the more stressed I feel. I feel that the level of Japanese football is superior to Asia. If the Vietnamese team wants to surpass the level of Southeast Asia, where will it go?

Although the Football Federation said it was step by step, but the Football Federation has been accompanying the Vietnam national team since last year, it is absolutely not "step by step". On the contrary, it is the "adults" within the Football Federation who must go step by step more than the players. For example, the Football Federation and the V-League tournament also need to upgrade their training level. Because, when watching the V-League, I also wonder how the teams in this tournament have trained?!

The U19 team has gone to Europe for training and has made a certain impression. What do you think about this group of young talents?

- During Le Cong Vinh's time in 2008, there were some good players, and they won the AFF Cup that year. Since then, it seems like there has been no search for talent at all, so the next generation expected is the U19 generation. It is said that this generation of players will last for about 10 years.

Can you handle the pressure?

- If we talk about patience or the ability to withstand pressure, there will be upcoming matches to test it. Moreover, Mr. Tashima also told me “don’t argue”. I always remind myself like that and try harder.

When you led a foreign team, did your view of Japanese football change?

- Of course, I have also compared the Vietnamese team with Japan, but the Vietnamese have things that Japan has lost more or less. They are more playful and childish than the Japanese. They hate hard work and often do things that are really fun.

As the coach of the Vietnam national team, what do you expect?

- For a national team to improve, it must strive to be able to participate in the Olympics and World Cup. In particular, if the national team participates in the World Cup, the Olympics are not Japan, it is not a problem for me. I think it is normal for coaches to work in other national teams. That is the market demand all over the world, even players go abroad to compete...

Thank you!

According to TTVH