'X-ray' of men's football team

(Baonghean.vn) - The fear of the Thais is real, from fans, media, coaching staff, and players on the field. The fear started from the past, we lost more than we won, we lost no matter what we played so we became afraid. Strangely, for more than half a century, Malaysia, Indonesia and many other countries in the region have enjoyed the joy of winning against Thailand, but we have not!

“The fault is entirely mine and I am ready to take responsibility. I deeply apologize to the fans who have given their love to the team but the final result was not as expected.” - Coach Huu Thang has shown the courage of a man. But in our opinion, if that is all, it is not fair to Huu Thang and also does not correctly diagnose the “illness” of the team.

Lose because you don't dare to lose

Before losing 0-3 to Thailand, the U22 Vietnam team had 6 wins and 1 draw with Indonesia. Not counting the 4 matches in Malaysia, the most regrettable thing was that the VFF had prepared 3 "blue troops" with no professional value, causing the defense, especially the goalkeeper position, to fall into a "hibernation" state.

Now Huu Thang is regretting winning the K-League All-Stars and 2 practice matches in Korea only to lose miserably to the Thai strikers.

Bau Duc, a VFF official, said he resigned due to personal responsibility. Photo: Internet

It was not until the match against Indonesia that U22 Vietnam revealed its main lineup with the appearance of Tuan Tai. Not having played much and playing together, in addition to 2 missed opportunities to score, Tuan Tai "ruined the game" of Cong Phuong, from a pass from Van Toan.

That move, Tuan Tai fought for the ball and was caught offside, was quite unfortunate. If you know that Tuan Tai has not played any official V-League match yet, while Coach Srimaka's players have played at least 50 Thai-League matches, you will know how superficial the VFF and Huu Thang have been in preparing their players.

Removing Tien Dung (SHB.Da Nang) and only sending to Malaysia a defensive midfielder with the ability to compete and recover the ball was too risky. When Duy Manh was injured, Huu Thang paid the price. Deciding to put all his trust in the duo Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong, the attacking players, against the Thai midfield consisting of "strongmen" Chenrop Samphaodi, Phicha Autra, Saringkan Peomsupa... was another mistake.

Carrying the entire team that had exhausted their strength playing against Indonesia 2 days ago to face the Thai players, with 4 days off, was a wrong decision by Coach Huu Thang. Physical strength has always been our inherent weakness, with the decision of the coaching staff to "squeeze out" Van Toan, Hong Duy, Xuan Truong became harmless against the defense including Sasalak Haiprakhon, Suriya Singmui, Worawut Namvech, Nopphon Phonkam.

Choosing the wrong peak of form, not being able to earn 2 points in 2 decisive matches, coach Huu Thang had to pay the price.

Know yourself, not others

Using all their strength and playing with more players but not being able to beat Indonesia put U22 Vietnam in a difficult position, even though they had 2 chances to win and draw. Against Thailand, Huu Thang was confident that he would play offensively, deploying 2 strikers, but in the end, both Cong Phuong and Tuan Tai stayed deep to defend. There was a lack of consistency in assessing the opponent and directing the match.

Being a brave man, Coach Huu Thang admitted: “I did not do a good job of training the players’ mentality, which led to their poor performance when facing U22 Thailand. The fault lies entirely with me and I am ready to take responsibility.” Coach Huu Thang himself was so tense that he mistook Tuan Anh for Duy Hau, who passed the ball back to the goalkeeper, and tried to explain that the referee had given him unfair treatment in a clear situation.

Talented midfielder Tuan Anh once again missed the regional tournament. Photo: Internet

In this match, not only Phi Minh Long and Cong Phuong but almost the whole team were tense when entering the game, the defenders cleared the ball randomly. Goalkeeper Phi Minh Long, in the mindset of wasting time and trying to draw early, knew well that Tuan Anh would pass back, but when the opponent rushed in, he became panicked.

We deserve a golden generation, with names like Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, that's true. Young defender Van Hau is a newly discovered talent, Van Thanh - a player welcomed by many foreign clubs - is also true. But when facing each other, we see midfielder Worachit easily surpass Van Thanh and Chenrop easily presses and cuts Van Hau's face to score from a tight angle.

Sasalak's defense easily blocked Van Toan, while Saringkan Peomsupa always beat Cong Phuong in confrontations. The Thais won not because of luck, but in addition to having a confident and competent coach, Srimaka, they also had a squad of high-class players.

Despite the defeat, fans still thanked Huu Thang and the players, they did their best. Photo: Internet

Remember, if U22 Vietnam has more than half of national players, on the contrary, for a long time Thailand "does not allow" national players to participate in SEA Games, even if they are still of age.

Off the field, Thailand did not need to send the entire Football Federation Executive Committee to Malaysia to cheer, they only needed "hot girl" Watanya Wongopasi as the head of the delegation, along with the talented captain Srimaka, and the score was already 3-0.

It is not only Huu Thang's fault, although he has taken all the blame, nor is it Mr. Duc's fault, although he is ready to resign. We only know that Thai football has gone too far from us since when! I wonder what the VFF President, who has been absent for a long time, is thinking at this moment!

AT