U23 Vietnam returns to the "village pond"!

(Baonghean) - The fact that U23 Vietnam has participated in the U23 Asian Finals for the first time and the bold declaration of winning a ticket to the quarterfinals by coach Miura before sending his troops to "fight" in Doha, Qatar has made fans hope for a sweet ending. However, the last 2 losses have erased everything. Although there is still one more match against U23 UAE, the door to the next round has ended for the Japanese captain and his students.

U23 Vietnam could not create a surprise against U23 Australia, making coach Miura disappointed. Photo: Internet

After a comprehensive defeat from technique, tactics, physique, fitness and tactics against U23 Jordan on the opening day, Mr. Miura kept his promise when he made many changes in the "life or death" match with U23 Australia. That was Duc Huy replacing Xuan Truong, Manh Hung replacing Thanh Hien and wearing the captain's armband, while Huu Dung returned to the role of central midfielder instead of playing on the wing. But all the changes were only enough for U23 Vietnam to give fans an "equal" match against the opponent from the "kangaroo" country.

Our players ran more but held the ball less and were then "finished off" by the opponent with 2 unanswered goals. Cong Phuong and his teammates could not continue to create surprises against their old opponents as they had shown in the U19 tournament. Not gaining any points after 2 matches, U23 Vietnam became the first team in Group D to almost certainly say goodbye to the U23 Asian Finals. The illusion of a ticket to the quarterfinals was buried, which meant "putting an end" to his relationship with Vietnamese football. It seemed that Mr. Miura also understood that his future had been decided after this predictable defeat. The rare tear of regret from the captain of U23 Vietnam after the defeat seemed to be enough for fans to sympathize with him for his dedication and passion over the past year. But that tear could not save the situation.

Although we know that participating in continental tournaments is always a playground beyond the reach of Vietnamese football when the level is still a gap that cannot be filled at this time. Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong are still talented but it feels like they lack something to reach the top. Throughout the last 2 matches, people only noticed a perennial problem: the clumsiness in the defense, the cumbersome, lonely and powerless attack and the weakness and inexperience in the midfield. Obviously, the youth playground is completely different from the top playground. The difficulty of Vietnamese football is that the players slow down too soon. This is due to many reasons, but the core is still because we are limited in both physicality and lack of proper training, lack of sustainable development strategy. That is not to mention the lack of solidarity within the VFF, causing damage to the entire football industry.

Now, the important issue is to recognize the reality of the country's football to "close the door and talk to each other" in order to come up with a synchronous and effective solution, thoroughly solving all existing problems from the macro level to youth training and human resource strategy, "breeding" talent in clubs. I think it is time for Vietnamese football in general, VFF in particular as well as experts who are passionate about the country's football to eliminate empty theories and "bomb" statements that cause illusions and delusions among fans. Instead, let's "say nine and do ten" to bring the country's football beyond the Southeast Asian village pond.

Duy Xuan