Coach Troussier puts his faith in the list to go to Qatar
Coach Troussier shared frankly in the press conference announcing the preliminary list of 30 Vietnamese national team players heading to Doha (Qatar) to prepare for the 2024 Asian Cup taking place at 4:30 p.m. today (January 4). ). At the beginning of the press conference, he said: “The Vietnam national team will join forces from December 28, 2023, with the initial composition being U23 players and then a few days later a group of key players, regularly playing in the V. .League. In total, coach Troussier worked with about 60 players. The French coach affirmed that, as before, as coach of both the U23 and national team, he gave equality to the two teams, working together. with a philosophy”.
During the medical examination, the Vietnamese team discovered that some players had previously suffered serious injuries and could not compete in the 2024 Asian Cup, while others were lighter and were recovering under the supervision of the ministry. medical department and hope to be able to return to play in time. Compared to the original list, Vietnam National Team had to say goodbye to goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, midfielder Nguyen Thanh Chung, Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, midfielder Hoang Van Toan, Nguyen Hoang Duc.
Coach Troussier shared at the press conference before leaving for Qatar (Photo: Cao Oanh).
“Among the injured players, there are only two cases that I and the medical team assessed could participate in the 2024 Asian Cup. The rest unfortunately did not make it in time,” coach Troussier said in a press conference on the afternoon of April 4. first. “I want to emphasize again that, among the 5 injured players, since they gathered, they have not been able to practice with the team. The two players who are progressing well will practice again in about 5 days. Tomorrow I will brought away 27 players and 3 goalkeepers. The final list was only finalized one day before the opening match.”
When asked which position he was most worried about when absent due to injury, coach Troussier refused to answer, saying that each player called up has his own contribution, depending on the role. He believes that with the versatility of these players, the Vietnamese team can arrange many formations and tactics to adapt to each opponent.
“Not only Vietnam, but other teams also have to face many injuries. Japan lacks Kaoru Mitoma, Thailand lacks Chanathip,” he added. “I hope everyone can see that in the past eight months I have worked with a large number of players, about 80 people. Of course, saying that is not to say that I hope to encounter the current situation, with many injured players. But do it like that. So when someone is injured, we can replace them. The number of people choosing to go to Qatar is the most suitable right now. I don’t want people to perceive those who go to Qatar as second-class. To me, they are a bridge. first-class players and I want them to believe in themselves.”
Coach Troussier also emphasized his principle of choosing players regardless of age, old or young, but by their qualities on the field to have the best players. “I have a set of selection criteria, from spirit, attitude, expertise, versatility… If a player is good, we don’t judge them as old or young. If they are good, they will be good regardless of age.” . I don’t give opportunities to young players, I give opportunities to the best players. For me, there is no age boundary,” he said.
Coach Troussier said that the Vietnamese team’s approach to upcoming matches is still the same as what he has built in the past. That means entering the field to be proactive, instead of passively waiting for the opponent to make a mistake or wait for a moment of brilliance. According to the 69-year-old military leader, to do that, the players must be confident when they have the ball, because only by daring to play will the opponent have to chase. “Of course it’s not easy when they are familiar with the club’s playing style, when problems are solved with foreign players. This is a team, there are no foreign players. Moreover, all the players are playing. The ball is in the water,” he said. “But I believe that when Vietnamese players receive solutions and orientation like what I am giving them, with their talent and confidence in playing football, they can completely solve many problems.”
In all three times attending the Asian Cup finals in 2007, 2019 and 2023, the Vietnamese team had to meet Iraq and Japan. In 2007, Vietnam lost to Japan in the group stage, then was eliminated by Iraq in the quarterfinals. In 2019, Vietnam lost to Iraq in the group stage, then was eliminated by Japan in the quarterfinals. According to coach Troussier, Japan and Iraq are clearly very strong, but Indonesia is not easy either. This will be the first time two Southeast Asian teams meet at the Asian Cup finals.
Regarding the goal, coach Troussier said the team will calculate each match, how to get through the group stage. “The opening match against Japan, in terms of probability, playing 10 matches can lose 9. But there may be a match with a point against them, and that could be the match on January 14,” he said. “The next direct opponent vying for a ticket to continue is Indonesia. In the 2019 tournament, Vietnam passed the group stage with only one goal more than the opponent, better than the fair-play difference because of the lack of yellow cards. So we also need “Lucky. We recently faced Iraq (2026 World Cup qualifier lost 0-1). Now the players have experience. I want them to play hard and be confident against this opponent.”
According to the plan, the team will leave for Qatar on January 5, then play a closed friendly match with Kyrgyzstan four days later.
