U23 Vietnam - U23 UAE: Not afraid of failure
* Vietnam - UAE: 0h30 on March 26, Hanoi time.
The 0-3 defeat against Iraq U23 with two red cards is considered a disappointing result for Vietnam. But the view from the outside does not affect the consistency of coach Philippe Troussier.
After the match on March 23, he confirmed to the media that this was not the end of the bad. The French coach also emphasized to the players that he wanted them to stop thinking of winning or losing and ask themselves "what do we need to improve". In that spirit, goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan admitted that the team failed to pass too much. Center-back Tran Quang Thinh is straight forward, saying that Vietnam's actual war is still poor.
Losing a junior friendly is emotionally disappointing. But the positive side is that the team revealed many details that needed fixing, so that both coach Troussier and his students could learn from their experience before entering the official tournaments.
The fact that Vu Tien Long received a red card from the 22nd minute of the defeat to Iraq also helped Vietnam adapt to more difficult circumstances. After going through, the players admitted that they were confused about how to play, thus ruining the tactical intentions of the coaching staff. Meanwhile, coach Troussier wants his students to be consistent with the philosophy of controlling the ball instead of breaking far to reduce pressure on goal.
At the post-match ice surgery meeting, the individual mistakes of each individual were analyzed, but the whole team also noticed the bright spots. In the 10v 11 position, U23 Vietnam still ended the match with a slightly better control rate, 51%. "It is impossible to say that we play on par with Iraq, but when there are enough people, the team can still deploy the original strategy," said defensive midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet.
These positive details help the team to ignore the fear of failure to look forward to the next match against the UAE, which has just won the host Qatar 1-0. These young UAE players are led by coach Denis Silva - who imparts the modern football he has drawn after many years of working in Barca's youth teams.
UAE players also get to play more at club level, with around 20 games a season, and there are some notable talents like Zayed Sultan, Fahad Bader or Yasser Hassan. Besides, the UAE is also highly appreciated for its cohesion, because most of the players come from two clubs, Al Jazeera and Shabab Al Ahly.
With the experimental nature, the two teams are likely to change many main players. Before the match, coach Troussier reminded his students to minimize errors like in the Iraq defeat, play faster with enthusiasm and stronger fighting spirit.
Photo 2: UAE U23 is appreciated as much as Iraq U23. Photo: UAEFA
