Coach Troussier: 'Vietnamese U23 players are better than before'

Thanks to a narrow victory over Yemen, Vietnam is sure to top Group C and win an early ticket to the 2024 U23 Asian finals. In the opening match, the team crushed Guam 6-0. Coach Troussier said he was satisfied with completing his goal of winning tickets to the final round in Qatar in 2024, thereby maintaining his goal of reaching the 2024 Olympics.

"I feel proud of the playing spirit of the players, as well as the fact that they adhered to discipline throughout the match, counter-attacked properly and knew how to wait for the right opportunity to strike the finishing blow," he said. said after the match at Viet Tri Stadium.

Before the match, Yemen was right behind Vietnam because of its poor difference (+3 compared to +6). Therefore, they approached the match cautiously, defending in large numbers and lurking for direct counterattacks to find opportunities. According to coach Troussier, that makes it difficult for Vietnam to find space to attack. "In the first half, my players were a bit tense due to the pressure to continue early, leading to many passing errors and lack of continuity in coordination. In the second half, we had to change personnel and tactics. ", said the French military leader, adding that Ho Van Cuong was his trump card in this match, while Luong Duy Cuong was brought in to replace Ngoc Thang who received a yellow card.

After missed opportunities, Vietnam seemed to have to share points with Yemen when suddenly the score was opened with a corner kick with the participation of two players brought in by coach Troussier in the second half. From Khuat Van Khang's cross into the penalty area, Bui Vi Hao chose a favorable position to jump high and head the ball close to the edge of the inside post, not giving goalkeeper Al Sadi a chance to block. "I always say the starting player is the starter, and the substitutes are the finisher. Bui Vi Hao is both the finishing player and the finishing player. We will continue to improve in the future. hybrid," coach Troussier added.

Regarding playing style, the 68-year-old coach said he wants his players to adhere to certain rules on how to play, following the pattern of each training day. "Previously, Vietnam's goals were random situations or luck. Now there are also moments that require luck, but the gameplay is more modern," he said. "What I want from the players is to change their approach thinking, need to further improve the quality of players on the field. How to change decisions, connect more smoothly. Current European trends 95% of the time on the field is receiving the ball and passing the ball. Man City even reaches 100%. There are Vietnamese matches, on average 20% of the ball rolls, the rest is disputes, unclear actions, fouls. , penalty corner kick. The current build is to change the approach to the match, control the ball. It is not always easy to get to the bottom of the field, drill a hole. But long matches need one or two suitable situations The reason is that it can be resolved. After the opening match, I saw many newspapers saying that it was natural for Vietnam to win Guam. But today Yemen is not like that. Vietnam's victory puts Yemen in the position of having to make mistakes, revealing errors. To do that smoothly, personal reinforcement is needed."