Vietnam Team: World Cup goal faces difficulties from round 2

This squad will face two opponents, the Philippine Team (away) and the Iraqi Team (home) in the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers Round 2 campaign.

In the context of the 2nd and especially the 3rd qualifying rounds being prolonged, accompanied by injuries, cards, and performance, the addition and replacement of players is inevitable. And this "official" call-up will of course always be considered the core force to shoulder the heavy task set forth.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the force that Mr. Philipe Troussier chose first of all included veterans such as Van Lam, Ngoc Hai, Tien Dung (replacing the injured Duy Manh), Van Thanh, Viet Anh, Thanh Binh, Hung Dung, Hoang Duc, Tuan Anh, Tuan Hai, Van Toan, Tien Linh... To see, the French coach still has to rely first of all on the number of experienced players in the international arena, especially those who have experienced the 3rd Qualifying Round of the 2022 World Cup but failed and now is the opportunity for them to repair and overcome.

Of course, Mr. Troussier had to add some new elements such as Dinh Trieu, Tien Anh, Viet Hung, new and old people like Xuan Manh, Van Quyet. More special than the time of Mr. Park Hang-seo, a series of young elements were officially called up to the national team including Van Viet, Van Khang, Van Do, Van Toan, Thai Son, Tuan Duong, Minh Trong, Tuan Tai, Van Cuong, Thanh Nhan and Dinh Bac.

Looking at the above list, knowledgeable people may wonder why Tan Tai or Cong Phuong were not called while Van Hau was absent due to injury? No one can answer this question except Mr. Troussier and it should also be known that it is the French coach's decision with specific reasons that he is sure of, with consultation from his colleagues and above all, scientific statistics that speak for themselves. Therefore, there are absolutely no personal reasons or common likes and dislikes here, while the door is always open to anyone who is in good form and ready to take on the team's duties.

After what has been seen about the appearance of the Vietnamese team, especially after 3 recent friendly matches with consecutive losses against continental-level opponents, the fear of a certain vague defeat seems to be growing in the hearts of fans near and far. Even though they are in the second round, opponents like Iraq, Indonesia or the Philippines will be obstacles that are not easy to overcome for Mr. Troussier and his team, if they cannot show a steady progress as many people hope.

Because not only is the image of a series of veterans not fresh because the V-League has not been played yet, but now, after 3 rounds, things have not improved much. Look at the way the stars of Hanoi FC are performing in the continental club tournament or in the V-League, then the way Viettell or Hanoi Police prove their ability... all cause concern, even disappointment about the key players.

The factors on the offensive line ofVietnam teamThis time, they are almost silent in the V-League. Van Quyet missed a penalty and suffered two early losses in the V-League, not to mention a humiliating defeat in the continental club tournament. Hanoi FC stars such as Tuan Hai, Hung Dung, Van Tung, ... will join the national team with a heavy load and whether they will truly "transform" or not is very difficult to predict. Tien Linh, who has been in poor form for a long time and "should only enter the field from the second half" as Huynh Duc said, will perform when joining the national team, quickly erasing the bad image in the recent friendly matches? Ngoc Hai is injured, Hoang Duc has not recovered after an overloaded season, Tuan Anh is struggling with the new name of the Mountain City team but with old results, Dinh Bac is not playing in his best position... are a series of information that make Mr. Troussier have a headache and feel uncomfortable.

Of course, every reality has its ups and downs, gains and losses. Van Lam and Dinh Trieu playing well is news that brings confidence in the national team's goalkeeper position. Tien Dung, Van Thanh, Xuan Manh, Tien Anh... proving that they are capable of being called up to the national team according to strict requirements is a good sign of perseverance and will to rise up. Thai Son, Van Toan, Van Cuong being the regular starters with great resilience will be an extremely necessary addition to the national team at any stage.

The problem now is that Mr. Troussier needs to not be too focused on the philosophy of "controlling and attacking football" but must be flexible in changing based on the available forces against each opponent to create momentum for the next matches and rounds. We must know how to unleash the potential of each position, create a solid connection and multiply the strength of a collective to overcome difficulties and win. Obviously, the star of the current National Team is a collective, not Quang Hai or someone else like before. And the strength of the National Team is the strength and will of Vietnam, something that Mr. Calistor or Park Hang-seo used to do very well, but Mr. Troussier seems to have not achieved compared to the requirements?

The opening match against the Philippines on away ground will not be as easy as it has been in the past, and will even be a big challenge, so it is necessary to promote the strong weapons of Vietnamese football such as tight defense, quick counterattacks, and the strong will of each player. Only by achieving good results will there be a chance to consider scoring points against the biggest opponent in the group, Iraq, on home ground. I thought that the second round would be a smooth road, but it seems that everything is unpredictable, even though the qualifying round is a long-term game and there is still a chance to fix and patch things up. It is true that the World Cup goal of Vietnamese football seems to have been facing countless difficulties since... the second qualifying round./.

Hoa Bui