Coach Philippe Troussier: Failure is an opportunity for U23 Vietnam to gain experience for the future

Commenting on the 0-3 defeat against U23 Iraq in the first match of the Doha Cup in the early morning of March 23, coach Philippe Troussier shared:

“We didn’t start badly in the first 20 minutes. But the defence made a mistake in the situation that led to a direct red card. From there, I had to make changes in the formation and personnel. With the numerical disadvantage, the players lost confidence on the pitch. The score was not the desired result. But we came here to recover from our mistakes, to correct them and improve. We are looking forward to the second match to perform better after what we have trained for,” said coach Philippe Troussier.

Coach Philippe Troussier is not disappointed with the heavy defeat of U23 Vietnam. Photo: Hai Hoang

"In the first 20 minutes of the match, when we were gradually confident in building our style of play, we lost a player. In the remaining time, especially in the second half, with 10 players on the field, we had to try to achieve a balance between attack and defense. Especially in the attack phase, implementing ball control, I want the players to respond. That is to continue to look for options to play the ball, keep the ball, control the ball, and move the ball up to find options to attack. Of course, the result we received is not the end of the worst. This is an opportunity for U23 Vietnam to analyze and draw experience for the future," coach Philippe Troussier assessed the match.

U23 Vietnam received a red card and played with one less player. Photo: Hai Hoang

Talking about the 2 red cards ofU23 Vietnam, coach Philippe Troussier said: “It can be said that in the first situation, Tien Long was the last player to stop the opponent in front of the goal. The second situation was Minh Khoa's second yellow card. In my general assessment, the referee did not make any mistakes in drawing the card. I hope that from these red cards, players need to know how to control their behavior and psychology better on the field. I emphasize that through this tournament, this match too, it is a good opportunity for us to learn and gain experience. Of course, when we have lessons, we will have to pay the price.”

U23 Vietnam learned many lessons after losing to U23 Iraq. Photo: Hai Hoang

"This tournament is a challenge for U23 Vietnam towards the upcoming SEA Games. All opponents participating in this tournament have high-quality players. Against such strong opponents, it is impossible for my players not to make mistakes, like the recent defensive situations of U23 Vietnam. I want to see mistakes like this so that we can learn more and improve in the future. Of course, everyone wants to win in football," said coach Philippe Troussier.

“There are times when we have to accept the results that are not as expected, from there change, look for opportunities, look for something more positive. I don't want everything to get worse after just one match. The players need to look forward to the next match and I will convey this message to the players," coach Philippe Troussier emphasized.

After losing to Iraq, U23 Vietnam has 3 days to prepare before playing U23 UAE - the team that won 1-0 against U23 Qatar, in the second match of Doha Cup 2023./.