Vietnam team and valuable lessons from Asian Cup 2023
(Baonghean.vn) - The Iraqi team won all 2 previous matches (including an important 2-1 victory over Japan), so they sent most of their reserve team onto the field in the match against the Vietnamese team.
Meanwhile, after missing the entire match against Indonesia, midfielder Hung Dung was on the field from the start, combining with midfielders Tuan Anh and Thai Son to control the midfield. Van Khang started for the first time on the left wing of the attack. Ngoc Bao also played for the first time in the left center-back position, Tuan Tai played in the center and Viet Anh played on the right.
It is true that both teacher and studentVietnam teamdid not enter the match with the idea that this was a "procedural match" when the home team was officially eliminated. On the contrary, the old pillars such as Hung Dung, Xuan Manh, Viet Anh, Tuan Anh continued to prove their irreplaceable role in the present and near future of the team. Young factors such as Tuan Tai, Van Khang, Minh Trong, Thai Son also fought with great enthusiasm to gradually assert themselves. The Vietnamese team did what needed to be done, taking advantage of a set piece situation to take the lead thanks to Van Khang and Viet Anh. Then there was a beautiful scoring combination by Thanh Binh and Quang Hai from a live ball situation when the home team was behind and only playing with 10 men...
From the match against Iraq (as well as the previous match against Japan), it is easy to see that Mr. Troussier's students always know how to take advantage of set pieces to score 4 goals against the two strongest teams in the continent. That is a powerful weapon, not every team can do it and do it well. In particular, we must mention the role of creators like Hung Dung, Tuan Tai, Van Khang and beautiful finishers like Dinh Bac, Tuan Hai, Viet Anh. Although late, Quang Hai's goal in the match against Iraq proves that this star is not over yet and must know how to "revive" this talent. The Vietnamese team knows how to face strong teams, dares to hold the ball to deploy the game, which are also points that need to be noted at the 2023 Asian Cup.
But what needs to be said right away is that the Vietnamese team in the process of renewal and rebuilding is showing too many instabilities and shortcomings and must be promptly corrected, drawing profound and valuable lessons for both teachers and students. First of all, the French coach Philippe Troussier, with his personality and way of doing things, is showing that he does not understand his students and is not as good at reading the game as he used to be. The match against the Indonesian team specifically demonstrated this, especially the fact that he did not put Hung Dung on the field for a single minute, did not read the entire game when the opponent "transformed" and surprised him, and could not deal with it effectively. He trusted young players, forcing them to play big while they were still immature in all aspects, so the situations of Van Khang's red card or Minh Trong's penalty, and Thai Son being overwhelmed have harmed him, causing him to lose serious trust in the eyes of fans.
On the players' side, the 2023 Asian Cup is showing valuable lessons in all aspects. This is a playground that makes Vietnamese players reveal two sides of a person, merit and fault go together, cancel each other out. Quang Hai played very badly in the match against Indonesia but shone in the match against Iraq. Thanh Binh made a serious mistake in the match against Indonesia and then scored in the match against Iraq. Viet Anh shone in the matches against Japan and Iraq, but it was this central defender who made a rough tackle that caused the home team to be penalized. Van Khang had an assist in the match against Iraq, but it was also he who played carelessly that got him two yellow cards, causing the home team to be disadvantaged and lose the match. Dinh Bac was very good in the match against Japan but in the match against Iraq, he was gone... It can be seen that most of the Vietnamese players do not have stable performance, up and down, so it is difficult to expect the team to go the long way, to go up... And this is the goal that the players must reach if they do not want to be eliminated in the near future.
The chronic diseases of V-League are having a "place to perform" in the Vietnam national team. This is not a new thing, like the heavy penalty cards for Duy Manh, Ngoc Hai, Van Hau... in the past, now continuing with Thanh Binh, Van Khang, Viet Anh, Minh Trong... Of course, there are cases of innocent football play like Thanh Binh, Minh Trong, but there are also cases of excessive, shameless play like Van Khang, Viet Anh... All of them cause great harm not only to a match, a tournament but also to a football that wants to grow, develop, and show off to the world.
Obviously, the recent matches with the Iraqi team alone have taught Vietnamese football many painful lessons, especially the loss in extra time, the lack of control in playing football with the consequences of the V-League, the mistake of one position causing the whole team to suffer, the unbelievable mistake of a defense, the will to have more than enough but limited strength and ability...
From now until the 2nd World Cup Qualifiers to meet Indonesia again in both matches, I wonder if Mr. Troussier and his team will quickly "digest" the above unforgettable lessons? It will be very difficult if the coach is still stubborn, irritable and does not show the strength from the technical area to multiply the collective strength as expected? It will be very difficult if his students keep playing good games, bad games, shining and then making mistakes, vaguely as everyone in the world can see?
