Former European champion coach refuses to lead Vietnam national team

In the context that the head coach position of Vietnam national team is still vacant, coach Petrovic (Thanh Hoa) is considered a potential candidate but he has refused this opportunity.

- Coach Petrovic, you have achieved many successes when leading European teams. Do you think that leading a Southeast Asian team like Vietnam will be the next interesting thing in your career?

- I have taken many jobs in Southeast Asia and East Asia, specifically China and Vietnam. In general, the work and life here are very interesting, otherwise how could I accept. I think the job in a Southeast Asian national team or any national team is the same. It is of course very different from the club level and will certainly be an interesting challenge.

- If VFF invites you to be the head coach of the Vietnam national team, how will you respond?

- I have said at least twice that I have not thought about it and do not have enough time for this issue. We still have a lot of work to do with Thanh Hoa. We have many opportunities to win the championship. Thanh Hoa must try much harder to fulfill the dream of winning the championship before talking about anything else.

Coach Ljupko Petrovic confirmed that he is not interested in leading the Vietnamese team but only wants to focus on Thanh Hoa. Photo: Thanh Ha.

- Can you tell us the specific reason why you refused to play for Vietnam?

- (Laughs loudly) Now is not the time to talk about this, I am focusing all my efforts on Thanh Hoa.

- How do you evaluate the position of the Vietnamese team in Southeast Asia and Asia?

- Your team has many talented players, you have a great position in Southeast Asia as well as leaving your mark in Asia in general, but mostly at the youth football level. I think it takes more time for you to establish a specific position. Vietnamese players still lack many things to be able to assemble into a strong block.

The Serbian strategist believes that physical strength is one of the weakest points of Vietnamese players. Even in Thanh Hoa, there are only a few players who satisfy Mr. Petrovic in terms of endurance. Photo: Thanh Ha.

- After half a year of working, what strengths do you see in Vietnamese players?

- The strengths of Vietnamese players are that they are relatively intelligent, have good learning ability, and especially many players possess good technique and speed. I see that in Thanh Hoa's youth team, there are quite a few players with more impressive physiques than their seniors. These are good signs for Thanh Hoa football in general and I think for Vietnamese football as well.

- People often say that Vietnamese players have technique and potential but have not yet fully exploited it. In your opinion, what else do Vietnamese players need to reach a higher level?

- For Vietnamese players to improve, I think it is a very long process, not just one or two days. The physical strength of Vietnamese players is not really good. Even in Thanh Hoa, there are only a few players like Trong Hoang, The Duong, Dinh Dong, Mai Tien Thanh that I can be assured of their physical strength as well as their tireless fighting spirit. Moreover, you also lack the necessary concentration when playing football. The tactical awareness of Vietnamese players also needs a lot of supplementation.

Mr. Petrovic believes that Vietnamese football has only made an impression at youth levels and needs a lot more time to assert itself. Photo: Thanh Ha.

- What do you think are the shortcomings of Vietnamese football at this time? If given advice, what would you say to VFF to help Vietnamese football develop?

- For me, Vietnamese football is on the right track. There are many youth training centers that have used foreign coaches such as HAGL, Thanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City or Viettel. These are very necessary things for young players to be able to take the right steps in developing and shaping their playing style and way of playing.

Vietnamese and Chinese football have many similarities, but also negative points. I hope you can develop football more, because Vietnamese people love football very much and have many talents.

Thank you for the conversation.

According to Zing