Coach Troussier and the goal of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup

Coach Troussier will return to Vietnam after the Lunar New Year holiday in his home country. The French strategist has about 2 weeks to "relax" with his family and is expected to return to Vietnam on February 23.

Before leaving the Vietnam team after the 2023 Asian Cup, coach Troussier told his players to look back at what they have shown to aim for victory or how to win in upcoming matches.

Entering the year of the Dragon 2024, although not said, everyone understands that the pressure on coach Troussier and Vietnamese football is extremely great when facing a series of challenges and important tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the U23 Asian Finals and the AFF Cup.

In the above tournaments, coach Troussier and Vietnamese football must succeed, this is mandatory when the patience of the French strategist of the Vietnam Football Federation and fans over the past year is very great.

The specific goal for captain Troussier is to help the Vietnamese team pass the second qualifying round of the World Cup, reach the AFF Cup final, and win the right to enter the knockout round with U23 Vietnam.

"My wish is that when you return, you will look back and evaluate what we have done. I believe that although the Vietnamese team lost, the team learned many things. We will never stop, but continue to improve and carry out the next task, which is the second qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup."Coach Troussier emphasized.

Round 9 of V-League 2023/24 is also an important time for Mr. Troussier to complete the squad, because the Vietnamese team only has about 1 month left to gather again to prepare for 2 key matches with Indonesia in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

It is expected that in the next training session of the Vietnamese national team, many key players will return. Important players such as Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, Van Hau, Hoang Duc, Tien Linh... have all recovered from injuries and are ready to join the national team once called up by Mr. Troussier.

In addition to checking the form of the above pillars, coach Troussier and his assistants pay special attention to the performance of young players. It is almost certain that the French strategist will continue to stick to the plan to rejuvenate the Vietnamese team, and Phan Tuan Tai, Khuat Van Khang, Minh Trong, Dinh Bac... will be the backbone of the National Team in the near future.

In 2024, coach Troussier needs to improve the short-term performance of the Vietnamese team to reduce pressure and have the opportunity to achieve long-term goals. Because it will be very difficult to keep his seat if the Vietnamese team continues to have no results. After a period of opportunity to learn from experience, 2024 will be an important time for Mr. Troussier to achieve big goals.

Coach Troussier and his team are expected to gather in Hanoi on March 10, with nearly two weeks to prepare for the two decisive matches against Indonesia (first leg, away, March 23) and the second leg at My Dinh Stadium on March 26, in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup./.