What tactics did coach Philippe Troussier use in the match against the Syrian team?

Despite a narrow 1-0 victory, the mark Mr. Troussier left was very faint, causing the passionate fans of the land of the phoenix flowers to leave early one after another and experts to worry a lot.

Vietnam team in a friendly match with Hai Phong Club at Lach Tray Stadium. Photo: Hai Hoang

Actually, think about it,Vietnam teamfrom defense-counterattack to ball control attack is a long road, it cannot be declared. Without the best midfielder Hung Dung, Mr. Troussier arranged a midfield consisting mostly of attacking midfielders including Hoang Duc, Tuan Anh and Quang Hai, not to mention the two full-backs Van Hau and Tan Tai who were allowed to move up frequently.

The strikers Van Tung and Tuan Hai played the highest, creating a formation with only 3 central defenders on defense, the rest holding the ball and attacking! This was a "multiple upper, minimum lower" formation, so when the attack was blocked and counterattacked, there was no time to react. Ngoc Hai also went from central defender to the wings at least twice to play the ball. Both times Hai's unconventional play backfired on him and his teammates when the defensive structure was shifted and confused, causing Duy Manh and Thanh Binh to make mistakes. Fortunately, Van Lam and the crossbar saved Mr. Troussier from 2 obvious goals in the first half.

Fans cheer for the Vietnamese team at Lach Tray Stadium. Photo: Hai Hoang

In the second half, Mr. Troussier continued to experiment when he still refused to remove Duy Manh but put this central defender in the middle, pushed Ngoc Hai to the right, put young central defender Tuan Tai on the field in a left position, put Hai Huy and Xuan Manh in to play as a central midfielder pair, Dinh Thanh Binh replaced Van Tung...

The game was a bit better, with better ball control and no surprises from counter-attacks. But that was not enough when there was no clear plan, and the only opportunities were individual moments of brilliance from Xuan Manh, for example...

A bit of a long story about the past match is to look forward to the important match against the Syrian team in a few days at Thien Truong Stadium. Van Thanh and Van Toan are considered "underground treasures" for this match, meaning that Tan Tai may not be in the starting lineup not only because of injury. Tuan Hai or Van Tung may be on the bench when Van Toan returns? As for Cong Phuong, is it possible that he was sent to Hai Phong and then back to Nam Dinh just for show, so he can play at least one half depending on the situation.

Everyone knows that Quang Hai will be considered the most important factor of Mr. Troussier and by all means he must bring this talented midfielder to the right position. The problem is not only Quang Hai trying his best but also who has a suitable playing style, in harmony, and resonates well with this midfielder from Dong Anh? Of course, first of all are the players from Hanoi FC, who have been regularly called up to the national team recently. But does that mean taking away the opportunity of the young, new players when they quickly absorb the teacher's teachings and even show outstanding qualities that their seniors may not have?

Vietnam team in a friendly match with Hai Phong Club. Photo: Hai Hoang

Among the 4 U22 players mixed into the first team to go to Hai Phong, Van Tung, Tuan Tai, Van Khang were put on the field and they have every opportunity to show themselves in the match against the Syrian team. Van Toan once surprised many people when he was put into the first team but did not enter the field recently, leaving everything open in the future, but the hope is not high. Experts are paying attention to Van Khang because he is a special factor for the near future of Vietnamese football. Looking further, there will be students of Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan who are currently competing in the U17 Asia in Thailand. It seems that these juniors are the ones with good physique, good physical strength, and know how to play with the ball, attack, and defend effectively.

No one is sure whether Mr. Troussier dares to make any adjustments or is still single-minded in his "attacking ball control" approach. Many times, Van Lam has no choice but to serve long balls without being able to coordinate sequentially from the bottom up as the coach wants. U22 Vietnam also often "scores" goals when Tuan Tai passes the ball along the sideline for Minh Trong to move up to create.

To see when things are going well at U22 and the unexpected debut of the Vietnam National Team, Mr. Troussier will allow the team to play less rigidly than the match against Hong Kong - China. When facing a strong team like Syria, at least to save the unfavorable situation because everything is not yet mature and Coach Troussier has not had enough time to fully understand the abilities of his students.