Midfielder Duc Chien and the story of players joining the national team

“Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Your performance today was exactly what I needed. The handling of the situations on the pitch was perfect. That is the European way. Be decisive in handling, play with motivation. Focus on following the tactics…”.

It can be seen that it has been a long time since the French captain has praised his students after a match. Remember, The Cong Viettel played poorly for most of the first half of this season and it was not until the 13th round mentioned above that they suddenly shined again, including Duc Chien and Manh Dung (creating and scoring goals). Then, almost immediately, a whole group of players from the army team were named in the list of the Vietnam National Team preparing to compete in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the 2026 World Cup, including Tien Dung, Duc Chien, Thanh Binh, Tien Anh, Tuan Tai and Manh Dung.

Immediately, public opinion was surprised and concerned about the summoning of the above-mentioned names in the context of the team's long-term decline and in fact they only shined in one match? Remember, there have been many stories of players who only shined in a few matches and then... disappeared, like in the recent ASIAN Cup, like Dinh Bac shining brightly in the match against Japan and then getting injured. Even Tuan Hai was not strong enough to shine afterwards, especially in the match against rival Indonesia... It is not uncommon for people to be called "big players of small matches", meaning they only play well when facing weak opponents, but when facing equal or stronger teams, they are completely helpless...

In fact, Duc Chien is not a new name in Vietnamese football, due to injury he was not present at the recent ASIAN Cup. Last season, The Cong Viettel finished 3rd thanks to this midfielder, both in defending from afar, organizing attacks and scoring goals. This is a strong, decisive player, very suitable for the role of blocking from the middle of the field, and can also go up to put pressure, and can shoot from afar to score goals as a favorite habit. The story of The Cong Viettel "losing themselves" for a long time has a reason because the midfield with Duc Chien and Hoang Duc did not play well. So, is the fact that he and his teammates played extremely well recently a rare moment of sublimation, or a timely comeback, "form is temporary, class is forever" as people often say?

Of course, the answer still has to wait for time, wait for reality. And now, when Tuan Anh is not called, the midfield of the Vietnamese team facing the European players playing for Indonesia of course needs players who can meet the "European way of playing" as Mr. Troussier said to Duc Chien above. It is very possible that Duc Chien will be arranged with players with good physical strength like Thai Son, battle experience like Hung Dung or teammate Hoang Duc to neutralize the opponent's powerful midfield?

In the case of Manh Dung shining in the match in round 13 mentioned above, and then being called up to the national team immediately, there are also some doubts somewhere? When Tuan Hai got injured, the Vietnamese team lacked a mobile and quick striker. Manh Dung has an ideal height, was the only goal scorer in the SEA Games 31 final against U23 Thailand, of course he cannot be a striker lacking international experience, although he has not proven much for a long time at The Cong Viettel. Normally, a good match is not enough to bet on a bigger match later, but with Manh Dung, clearly everything is possible, when confidence is returning and there is support from many teammates at the club when joining the national team.

It should be noted that when he praised Duc Chien, Mr. Troussier still added a sentence "Whether he plays or not...", meaning that nothing can be confirmed in the future. In fact, the French coach has never pre-arranged anyone to play as a starter, a way to motivate each student to strive. He once did not put Hoang Duc in the squad at the ASIAN Cup, even though he knew for sure that he would be trusted to vote for the Golden Ball 2023. It should be remembered that Mr. Troussier always advocates finding collective strength, connecting teammates on the basis that each player must be "decisive in handling, play with motivation and focus on following tactics".

Duc Chien's story brings joy and motivation to strive not only for this player but also for those who are called, are preparing to be called up to the Vietnam National Team and U23 Vietnam Team now and in the future. There may still be some doubts about the fact that Mr. Troussier only watched a few matches in the V-League or National Cup, then praised, then hastily called up to the national team.

In fact, things are not that simple when the Vietnam Football Federation as well as the national team's coaching staff have a list, a specific plan/program to regularly monitor and scientifically evaluate each good player, each position, to supplement, consider and decide when necessary.

As for the players of The Cong Viettel, this is always reasonable because this is a training center/team with the most tradition in Vietnamese football. The team's performance may decline, but their class is indisputable and cannot be doubted at any time./.