Is it okay to just 'behead the general' and that's it?

(Baonghean.vn) - In football, "losing the army, beheading the general" has been a common occurrence for a long time and Huu Thang has also proactively taken responsibility. However, if only coach Huu Thang and Mr. Duc take responsibility and resign, while VFF officials stay out of the game, it will not accurately reflect the "illness" of Vietnamese football.

For many years now, VFF has been in a state of "first mother, second child" praising and praising the achievements of youth tournaments, V-League but every time it comes to the SEA Games, AFF Cup, it fails. VFF always thinks that its job is to choose the head coach, and this coach is responsible for bringing the Cup home. If the task is not completed, it is analyzed, dissected and dismissed, then someone else is chosen to replace him.

Four big questions

First of all, it must be said that the VFF and the U22 Vietnam coaching staff wasted 3 training matches before leaving for the 29th SEA Games. What did Coach Huu Thang and his team get after 3 victories against the K-League All-Star Team (Korea) 1-0, Mokpo FC 4-1 and Busan FC 6-1 when the opponent "actively" lay down.

It's not just a matter of simply reforming the coaching staff that makes the team stronger. Photo: AT

If Mokpo is playing in the Korean third division and is not a strong opponent, Busan Transportation is only a semi-professional club currently ranked 7th/8th in the National League, equivalent to the Korean third division.

Before accepting to be the team for U22 Vietnam, they had gone through a series of terrible matches, 13 times playing without a win, losing 9 and drawing 4. Was the VFF mistaken when the opponent of U22 Vietnam was not the team currently ranked 2nd in the Korean second division, Busan I'Park, as the press initially thought?

Goalkeeper Phi Minh Long's elementary mistake and the solid defense certainly did not have much experience with strong attacks before going to Malaysia.

Vietnamese football under coach Huu Thang learned a lesson from defensive midfielder Ngo Hoang Thinh at the AFF Cup 2016, so why did the VFF let it happen again at the 29th SEA Games? Is it true that we only have Duy Manh to take on the task of blocking the defense from afar?

When looking at Thai players like U-Tra, Chaowat, Chenrop taking turns "torturing" the U22 Vietnam midfield with Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, Van Toan with tired legs, many people think: Where are the VFF experts?

As Mr. Nguyen Sy Hien - Chairman of the National Coaching Council said: "The first shortcoming is that the head coach used the wrong force. Today he used the official lineup, the next day he needed to rotate to always maintain the tactics and healthy force."

So what is the role and voice of German fitness expert Martin Forkel at the 29th SEA Games when VFF did not mention him? Does Martin Forkel have any opinion on the issue of physical preparation for having to play 7 matches (if reaching the final) within 14 days?

More than anyone else, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, Vice President of VFF, knows that Coach Huu Thang has never commented on his “inexperience” while leading the national team. Therefore, such comments further obscure the role of VFF.

Stop saying "when the child sings, the mother praises him"

For a long time now, VFF has been boasting that the V-League is among the top in Southeast Asia and that it has one of the most talented players in the region. But the truth is that we always fall short in tournaments like the SEA Games or the AFF Cup.

Despite the failure at SEA Games 29, the audience still stands by the national team. Photo: Dung Nguyen

The biggest responsibility must belong to VFF, the country’s football governing body, not simply the team coach. Most of the VFF officials are present in Malaysia but their role is too vague, if not just to applaud when there is a victory and criticize the head coach when there is a defeat.

We believe that the VFF officials' respect for Huu Thang's decision in not inviting Technical Director Jurgen Gede to the coaching staff was correct, but they were too irresponsible and indifferent when seeing Huu Thang carry the entire Indonesian team to play against Thailand.

Close-up footage shows that in the 87th minute, in the match against Indonesia, Van Toan still had enough energy to chase the ball along the sideline, but 2 days later he had to face Thai players who had been rested for 5 days before.

Words to say

Meeting, dissecting, and learning from each failure is necessary and advisable. Closing this door will open another door, another face with concrete steps to improve and elevate Vietnamese football.

But if VFF keeps blaming Coach Huu Thang without admitting any mistakes, VFF officials will just keep closing one door after another for the rest of their lives. Football experts all affirm that if this year the U.22 Vietnam team wins the 29th SEA Games, it will only be due to luck and not a true reflection of the country's football.

If the team's success is due to the VFF's "smartness and wisdom" and the failure is due to the head coach's inexperience, as said by VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan, then fans will have to wait for a SEA Games gold medal./.

AT