Has the fans' faith in coach Philippe Troussier run out?
(Baonghean.vn) - The 0-1 loss to Indonesia has pushed the Vietnamese team into a difficult situation in Group F of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. And it has made the sympathy of Vietnamese fans for Mr. Philippe Troussier drop to almost zero.
After each defeat of the Vietnam Team, there are familiar statements from coach Philippe Troussier. That is "the team is improving", "there are many optimistic things", "I am satisfied with the performance of my students".... This is the most "easygoing" coach of the Vietnam Team. Easygoing with students and also... opponents.
Because, in 6 official matches of the Vietnam Team under coach Philippe Troussier, our team lost 5. Those were 5 consecutive losses and only had 1 lucky victory against the Philippines Team. With those 5 consecutive defeats, the goals set by the Vietnam Team were gradually shattered.
Did the "beautiful" defeats against Japan and Iraq make us think that the gap in skill level between the Vietnamese team and the top teams in Asia has narrowed? No! The defeat against Indonesia proves that we are falling behind.
Yet before the match with Indonesia, the French coach still firmly asserted that, "The Vietnamese team will win and win beautifully." If we still dream like that, then perhaps what will happen to our team in the return match at My Dinh Stadium?
Just a small comparison is enough to see the difference between the Vietnam team under coach Park Hang-seo and coach Philippe Troussier. Having to face Indonesia in two consecutive matches, the Korean coach decided to hold the team to a draw at Gelaro Bung Karno before "handling" the opponent at My Dinh thanks to the psychological advantage and home field.
Meanwhile, the 0-1 defeat to Indonesia in the last round will create a lot of psychological pressure for the Vietnam team in the upcoming rematch. And if they do not get a good result, the door to the 2026 World Cup will almost slam shut for the team of coach Philippe Troussier.
"Easygoing" with players and opponents, but with fans and the media, coach Philippe Troussier always has "strange" statements! "About 80% of fans on social networks do not believe that the Vietnamese team is successful", "everyone sees the Vietnamese team progress, except the Vietnamese media" are the outstanding statements of the French coach. And if he does not have positive results in the upcoming match, it will no longer be 80% but 100% of fans who want to fire him.
Hopefully, in the upcoming key match, coach Philippe Troussier will make reasonable adjustments to bring victory to the Vietnam team, thereby regaining some sympathy in the hearts of domestic fans.
The match between Vietnam and Indonesia will take place at 7:00 p.m. on March 26 at My Dinh Stadium.
