Sorry for Xuan Manh and Van Hoang

Coach Park Hang-seo has officially announced the list of 29 Vietnamese players participating in the remaining 3 matches in Group G, the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. Thus, among the38 players called upThis time, Coach Park Hang-seo has selected 28 players to go to the UAE. In addition, there is a special case of goalkeeper Dang Van Lam - who will fly directly from Japan to the UAE on May 27, coinciding with the time the Vietnam team arrives here.

Besides the names that were predicted to stay in the Vietnam National Team, there were also names that were eliminated, causing great regret for fans. The 10 players eliminated before the Vietnam National Team left for the UAE included: Nguyen Anh Duc, Tran Van Kien, To Van Vu, Phan Van Long, Do Thanh Thinh, Nguyen Minh Tung, Nguyen Van Hoang, Pham Xuan Manh, Cao Van Trien, Pham Van Phong.

Of the 10 players mentioned above, 2 SLNA players were eliminated: Nguyen Van Hoang and Pham Xuan Manh. Meanwhile, Phan Van Duc was retained by coach Park Hang-seo. The fact that 3 SLNA players joined the Vietnam national team late due to a 12-day medical quarantine is a big disadvantage. They only have exactly 1 week to show themselves before coach Park Hang-seo finalizes the list to go to the UAE.

Van Hoang could not stay in the final list of the Vietnam National Team. Photo: Ba Tuan

In Van Hoang's case, his exclusion from the final list was predictable. This season, Van Hoang has conceded 15 goals and is at the bottom of the V.League 2021 rankings with SLNA.

In the list of 29 players going to the UAE, Coach Park Hang-seo chose 3 goalkeepers including: Dang Van Lam, Bui Tan Truong and Nguyen Van Toan. Compared to the 3 names above, it is clear that Van Hoang has little chance to compete. Although he has struggled a lot in the Nghe An team's jersey, he is always remembered by Coach Park in each gathering, which is also a great honor for this goalkeeper born in 1995.

As for Xuan Manh, despite his great contribution to the journey of making history with U23 Vietnam at the 2018 U23 Asia under the guidance of coach Park Hang-seo, the SLNA defender still could not compete for a place in the list of the Vietnam national team. Continuous injuries led to poor performance in V.League 2021, so it is understandable that Xuan Manh was eliminated.

In the Vietnam national team, Xuan Manh has to compete fiercely with Van Thanh, Ho Tan Tai, Hong Duy, Van Xuan and not to mention his senior Trong Hoang will recover in time to play against Malaysia. These are all names with extremely high performance in V.League 2021. The opportunity for SLNA players is extremely small.

Anyway, being on the national team this time is a memorable experience for Xuan Manh and Van Hoang. Although not selected in the final list for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in the UAE, the door to the Vietnamese team is still open for both of them in the next training sessions.

It's difficult for Xuan Manh when Van Thanh, Trong Hoang and Hong Duy are in good form. Photo: Ba Tuan

The important thing is that both Xuan Manh and Van Hoang take that as motivation to strive in the future instead of being discouraged. There is no more accurate answer than performance off the field. Coach Park Hang-seo once affirmed that opportunities are always open to all players.

The advantage of Xuan Manh and Van Hoang has been recognized by the Korean strategist in recent training sessions. It's just a pity that there are better names on the team.

Saying goodbye to the Vietnamese team, Xuan Manh and Van Hoang will immediately return to SLNA's headquarters to practice, preparing for the return of V.League 2021. On May 24, the Nghe An team had their first practice session after letting the players leave camp. With the support of a new sponsor, it is hoped that SLNA will play well, creating momentum for players like Xuan Manh or Van Hoang, helping them score points with coach Park.

Ba Tuan