Vietnam team and the story of reserve stars
(Baonghean.vn) - The detail that Hoang Duc was on the list of Vietnam's players registered for the 2023 Asian Cup announced by AFC, but in the end was not on the final list, proves that currently, there are no injured players who are still given priority to be kept until they recover to compete.
Also related to Hoang Duc is the picture with a bottle of champagne and the information about his return to the Vietnam National Team in March 2024, showing the clear policy of the coaching staff about "reserving troops" to compete in the second qualifying round of the World Cup, not only with Hoang Duc but also Ngoc Hai, Tien Linh, Van Lam and many other players.
Without saying it, everyone knows about the “harmful effects” of being too hasty in putting players who have not fully recovered from their injuries on the field to compete at too high an intensity in continental tournaments. The injury story related to Trong Hoang and the exaggeration of the “miraculous recovery process”, or Dinh Trong, Van Hau… are all giving not very positive results, both for the collective benefit and especially for the players’ careers.
Trong Hoang when he returnedLam River Nghe Anhad to treat injuries for years, when he returned he could not regain the position of the "lungless man" of the past. Dinh Trong had to struggle for many years to recently play the full 90 minutes in 2 consecutive matches of Binh Dinh and his return to the national team is a distant story. Van Hau's condition has not improved much, while Ngoc Hai's recent injury is causing more worries than ever in the defense of the Vietnam National Team.
Therefore, at the ASIAN Cup, with the initiative of the "2 in 1" teams, with the policy of searching and discovering young factors from the beginning, the Vietnamese team going to Qatar with a squad of only 6 players who participated in the AFF Cup 2020 is inevitable. Fans are worried, even 80% of the people objected, which seems to be unprecedented for the Golden Star army before each major tournament? Vietnamese football fans who are passionate about wanting the team to play well, the squad must be representative faces... is necessary and correct. But the path and steps of the team are led and responsible by the captain, and no one can say anything when everything is being implemented.
Mr. Park Hang-seo himself was deeply aware of the "winning culture" of Vietnamese fans and the fact that he only had 1 win, 1 draw, and the rest were losses against the continent's top teams in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup made it impossible for him to renew his contract, ending the successful cycle of Vietnamese football of the Korean coach. Pressure from his predecessor, Park Hang-seo, is one of the reasons why Mr. Philippe Troussier is currently not supported by many fans because the French coach is doing things differently, going in a different way. One of the ways he is doing is that no matter how big a star is, if he is injured, he must definitely recover in specific stages to serve the team long-term, which is beneficial for both the team and each individual player. Furthermore, football is a process of succession, development, an opportunity opened for many people, both old and new, a change of development, addition of playing style, personnel... so "framing" the team, before going on the field people can see everything, is no longer a "strategist" but in fact a "magician" who has been caught as we used to know.
It was also the story related to star Hoang Duc not being able to play a single minute in the last 2 matches of the 2nd Qualifying Round of the 2026 World Cup that made many people "break" a seemingly easy thing but not easy to know. That is, with the style of playing like Hoang Duc, the Vietnamese team can easily win against a weak team, or an equal team thanks to a moment of genius. But when facing superior teams, that is impossible as the history of the Vietnamese team has shown very vividly and closely. So, to overcome, to surpass a high-class opponent, requires the strength of a cohesive and creative collective, of a collective sport with a specific philosophy, clear methods and maximum efficiency.
People easily misunderstand about some kind of problem between Hoang Duc and the French coach? In fact, not only Hoang Duc but also Hung Dung… sat out the two matches mentioned above. To see that it was a purely professional story and the coach clearly stated his wishes for his students, wishing them to try harder in the new conditions and requirements, so that they could contribute their talents to the overall strength of the team.
The success or failure of Mr. Troussier is related to the results of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, in which there are still 2 decisive matches with the Indonesian team to find the 2nd place in the group, just like the situation in the upcoming ASIAN Cup. When the coach has allowed a series of stars to stay home to recuperate and not go to the ASIAN Cup, it means that there will be no "all-in" with Indonesia in the most recent competition but have to wait for the home/away matches later? But the results of the 2023 ASIAN Cup will also have a significant impact on the process of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, so there cannot be any "one side is more important than the other", but it must be the effort to fight to the end of all the selected players.
Now is the time for the French coach to prove his ability to overcome difficulties and raise the level of the Vietnamese team as he had done before with other national teams around the world? Although he did not receive the enthusiastic support of public opinion like his predecessor, is it right that this is the time for him and his students to "turn on the mode" to break through more strongly than ever to achieve the big and small goals ahead?
