Coach Troussier: 'The goal is to defend the SEA Games championship'
Coach Troussier and the players are currently stationed in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, because this place has a similar climate to Cambodia. The French military leader expressed satisfaction with the physical conditions as well as the local weather. He was also excited when about 80-90% of U22 Vietnam members played in the V-League in the past three weeks.
At the 32nd SEA Games, Vietnam is in Group B, meeting Laos on April 30, Singapore on May 3, Malaysia on May 8, and Thailand on May 11. Troussier commented: "All are familiar opponents in Southeast Asia. They all have their own ambitions, even championships, so no match is easy. Among them, Thailand is the most formidable. But they are not easy. I have researched, and the goal is still to protect the gold medal won in previous SEA Games."
Troussier took over the national team in February, after coach Park Hang-seo left because his contract expired. In his first tournament, the Doha Cup 2023 friendly tournament in Qatar at the end of March, Vietnam lost all to Iraq, the UAE and Kyrgyzstan. Maintaining the three central defenders like his predecessor Park, but coach Troussier emphasized ball control, deployed attacks from home with short passes and coordinated small groups. However, the team is having big problems in creating chances and finishing. The whole tournament, even just finishing nine times and not scoring, besides conceding seven times.
According to Troussier, after four weeks of training and then playing in Hanoi and Doha, young Vietnamese players have faced opponents in the top Asian group, so he can see their flaws in terms of their face. Tactics for upcoming focus on improvement. "In Doha, my aim is to get adverse results. If you only play against domestic teams, you can't have a good experience," he said. "After that tournament, the players will have a lot of confidence. Going forward against rivals in the same region, which are only equal and not higher in level, my players will play well."
On April 13th, Trussier announced the call up list of 31 players, including 22 in the V league and 9 in the Serie A. After 10 days of training, he will lock in 23 registrants at the Organizing Committee of the 32nd Maritime Games. The French coach stated that he will emphasize the versatility of the players during the screening process. Because in order to reach the final, each team must go through six games, not to mention the risk of being absent due to suspensions or fines This requires players to adapt to various positions and roles in the tactical plan. I will try many experiments to make players play as many positions as possible. So far, I am satisfied with unity and discipline. I remember at least six players participated in the 31st Maritime Games. They will guide their teammates and help each other complete the game under difficulties, pressure, and motivation in life, "he said.
One of the new features soon adopted under Troussier was the selection of five players for the captaincy group, and appointed depending on the game. This is different from previous coaches, such as Henrique Calisto, Toshiya Miura, Nguyen Huu Thang, Park Hang-seo, etc., who often appointed or elected the team captain and vice-captains. Troussier explained: "The captain is just a player who works with the referee. They are very young, I give them the experience of wearing the captain's armband, but I am still the captain. I don't want to wear the captain's armband all the time. As the new captain, I want everyone to be the captain."
The upcoming practice matches of U22 Vietnam will take place in a closed field, because coach Troussier is worried that the opponent can catch it. He also confirmed calling many players not only for SEA Games, but also for other preparation for U23 and the national team. "SEA Games is a tournament but also a part for a further goal," said the former Japan and Russian Coast coach.
