"Inconsistent from beginning to end!"

(Baonghean)In recent days, following the match between the Vietnamese national team and Taiwan in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Coach Miura has received a lot of criticism from some experts and VFF leaders who consider him the worst foreign coach ever! Among them are some who not long ago praised him profusely. The reason is that although the Vietnamese team won, their performance was lackluster against a team that we used to dominate.

But having said that, after the dismal results in all international competitions (eliminated from the group stage of both the AFF Cup and the SEA Games), in a short period of time, with the same players, this Japanese coach has brought a breath of fresh air to Vietnamese football. From the national team to the U19 and U23 age groups, they have all achieved important milestones on the international stage. For example, the Vietnamese Olympic team performed very well at the 14th Asian Games, defeating strong continental opponent Iran 4-1 and only being eliminated in the round of 16 by the UAE team. It was also the first time our U23 team qualified for the Asian Championship Finals in Qatar in 2016.

Coach Miura observes a match at Vinh Stadium.

It seems fans have placed too much hope in the national team's performance and Coach Miura's coaching abilities. But "you can't make something out of nothing," and currently, most of the players called up to the national team are playing in the V.League – a league whose professional quality is declining with questionable matches. Youth development, notably the U19 HAGL team with "stars" like Cong Phuong and Van Toan, are struggling to avoid relegation in the V.League... so where will we find talented players for the national team?! If it weren't Miura, but talented coaches like Pep Guardiola or Mourinho sitting in the "hot seat" as coach of the Vietnamese national team, it would be difficult to make a big impact.

Therefore, evaluating a coach's work requires a process, not just a single match, the inconsistent performance of some players, or the fact that the coach didn't call up players from his club to the national team. This can lead to a situation where decisions are made halfway through, as has happened before. Fortunately, Coach Miura is Japanese, so he doesn't read the criticisms in the media, preventing distractions and allowing him to focus on his duties. Because no matter who the coach is, it's difficult to satisfy some fans and experts who insist that the Vietnamese national team must play beautifully, win, and become champions to be considered a good coach; otherwise, all achievements and contributions are forgotten and meaningless!

Duc Dung