Coach Philippe Troussier: 'U23 Vietnam is ready to face the challenge at the 2024 AFC U23 Championship'

According to the draw results for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on the afternoon of November 23, the Vietnam U23 team is in a group with Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia. Head coach Philippe Troussier shows respect for his opponents in the same group, and believes that his players have the confidence and foundation to be ready to face the upcoming challenges.

Coach Philippe Troussier shared:“For me, each group and each match brings its own challenges. We all know that this AFC U23 Championship final is special for the teams in general and me personally, because the tournament is also the Qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games held in France.

Regarding the 3 opponents in the same group with U23 Vietnam, Uzbekistan is considered the strongest team in theory because they have often achieved good results in youth tournaments at the continental level in recent years. I rate Kuwait and Malaysia as direct competitors for the ticket to pass the group stage with U23 Vietnam. But as I said, no match will be easy because they also have the same dream as us, which is to go as far as possible and have a place in Paris 2024.”.

Taking on the role of leading the Vietnam National Team and the Vietnam U23 Team at the same time has given coach Philippe Troussier certain advantages in selecting and building a solid squad of players to serve the goals of both teams. The French strategist also showed his vision and initiative in preparing for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals by calling up many young players to participate in training sessions during FIFA Days with the national team. Among them, some players have shown their qualities quite well when given the opportunity to play such as Phan Tuan Tai, Vo Minh Trong, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Dinh Bac, etc.

Speaking about this, coach Philippe Troussier said:“The group of U23 Vietnam players have been with me for a long time over the past 9 months, accumulating battle experience in many different tournaments, both at the National Team level.and youth teams. Some individuals have even been used in the last 2 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, which are inherently difficult and high pressure.

With such continuous preparation and accumulation, I believe that the players and the entire team have the confidence and foundation to be ready to face the upcoming challenges. We still need to continue to improve to be fully ready for the top opponents in the continent. Of course, in the coming time, I will closely coordinate with the departments under the VFF to draft the most specific and in-depth preparation plan before the tournament,"French strategist concluded./.