Coach Troussier: Vietnam team will pass the group stage of Asian Cup 2023
(Baonghean.vn) - Despite heavy losses in personnel and being placed in a difficult group, coach Troussier and his players in the Vietnamese team are still confident that they will pass the group stage.
On the afternoon of January 4, coach Philippe Troussier met with the media, before the team left for Qatar to train and prepare for the upcoming 2023 Asian Cup.
In this press conference, in addition to sharing about the training process of the Vietnamese team, Mr. Troussier also announced the preliminary list of 30 names that will go to Qatar the following day. Notably, this list has changes compared to the list announced by AFC that morning.
At the beginning of the press conference, coach Troussier announced the injury situation in the Vietnam team: "Some players were injured from the Club, so I asked them to gather earlier to check carefully and assess the situation in detail. From this, we discovered some cases of serious injuries and need time to recover.
All injuries came from when the players played at their clubs. Currently, there are only 2 injured players that the medical team assesses are capable of recovering in time to participate in the Asian Cup. The rest, unfortunately, have to return to their clubs. 5 players who had to return in the past have not been able to practice with the team. Only 2 players who stayed are expected to be able to practice in 2 days. We will go to Qatar with 27 players and 3 goalkeepers. The final list of 26 players will be finalized on January 13."
Despite saying goodbye to 9 players, including many key players, coach Troussier is still very confident, he said: “I don’t want to answer directly, but I want to say that each player who has joined the national team will have their own contribution depending on their individual role. With this force, I can arrange many different formations and diagrams. The choice depends on each opponent. Against weak teams, we will play with different personnel when facing strong teams.
Nowadays, every team has injury problems, for example Japan will be without Kaoru Mitoma, Thailand will be without Chanathip. That is the difference between a national team and a club, when the national team gathers and competes in a short period of time.
In the past 8 months, I have trained nearly 80 players. With what I have trained, no matter what happens, there will always be players ready to stand up and replace. The squad I have chosen to go to Qatar is the most reasonable squad at the moment. Don't think of them as alternatives or second-rate. I consider them first-class players. I want them to believe that."
Regarding the possibility that the Vietnamese team will be strongly rejuvenated at the 2023 Asian Cup, Mr. Troussier said: "All the selected players are names that fit my criteria, from ball deployment, coordination, playing style and many other factors. I don't care if they are young or old players, as long as they are good players, showing what they can do on the field. I don't have any age boundaries for players."
Confident about the personnel issue, the French strategist emphasized: "The team will still approach the match as usual. Both Japan and Iraq are two strong teams, and Indonesia is not easy to play. I want the Vietnamese players to enter the game proactively, not to let themselves fall into a passive position.
Being proactive here means waiting for the opponent to make a mistake, taking advantage of set pieces and errors that may occur during the match. Of course, I also want the team to be proactive in playing football. To do that, you need to have confidence, be proactive in holding the ball and developing.
I always want the players to be confident in their abilities and to be able to do what I want. However, it must be admitted that the style of play at the club is very different from the national team. In the Vietnamese team, there are no foreign strikers for the players to coordinate with, and the style of play is also different. At the same time, the Vietnamese players currently only play domestic football. This is very different from the opponents, when they have names playing in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League...".
Although in a group with tough opponents such as Indonesia, Iraq and Japan, coach Troussier still believes that he will help the Vietnamese team pass the group stage.
"We set goals for each match. First is to get through the group stage. In the first match against Japan, the probability is that we will lose 9 out of 10 matches, but we can still win 1 match. Who knows what the next match will be?
The direct opponent that decides the ticket to the next round is Indonesia. This is a pivotal match. Four years ago, the Vietnamese team only won 1 match and still passed the group stage, then had a fair-play advantage of 1 point to go on. We really need luck in the next tournament. In Iraq, the Vietnamese team will play against them in the World Cup qualifiers. The players have experience and lessons to do better in the next tournament. Let's try until the last minute."
When asked about the pressure in this tournament, coach Troussier said: "For me, the only pressure I experience every day is the pressure I create on the training ground for the players. I read a lot of public opinion, many people do not support the National Team. But this only makes me and the players stronger. The players understand that and I feel the trust they have in me. And when we all unite together, I believe we will get the best results," the French strategist concluded.
According to the plan, the team will fly to Qatar for training tomorrow (January 5). In addition to the 26 official players, coach Philippe Troussier will bring 4 reserve players. Quang Hai and his teammates will have a friendly match with Kyrgyzstan on January 9 before entering the Asian Cup campaign.
