Vietnam team sprints for top ambition

FILL UP THE "FUEL"

If the Vietnamese team wants to roll smoothly to the 2026 World Cup qualifying round, they must first be fully fueled. For coach Philippe Troussier and his team, the "fuel" for the World Cup qualifying round is a thorough and careful preparation process in terms of tactics, personnel and experience to be ready to face big obstacles.

The 5 years under coach Park Hang-seo have witnessed the growth of the Vietnamese team, from being only at the Southeast Asian level to now reaching out to Asia. Although the gap with the top group including Japan, Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran has not been closed, the Vietnamese team has made remarkable progress. In the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, Mr. Park's students only lost to Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman at home with a minimum score of 0-1, defeated China 3-1, or drew with Japan away in the final matches.

The Vietnamese team needs friendly matches with strong opponents to test its mettle.

The more they play, the better the Vietnamese team adapts to the intense intensity of football at the highest level. That shows that the lessons learned from playing against the Asian giants are very valuable for the emerging football scene, while the confusion and stumbling in the first time going out like Vietnam. If the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are considered the real arena for the Vietnamese team to reach new heights, then the previous 10 matches in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup are a series of useful "friendly" matches for the players to refuel and gain experience before entering the race.

The Vietnamese team needs careful preparation.

The Vietnamese team will have four more friendly matches, respectively against Palestine (September) and China, Uzbekistan, and South Korea (October). These are all direct competitors for World Cup tickets with Coach Troussier and his team. The Korean team has German football legend Jurgen Klinsmann on the coaching bench along with stars such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Kang-in... Although the Chinese team is not superior to Vietnam in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, it is still very formidable. The Uzbekistan team has a potential young generation, when the U.20 Uzbekistan team just won the U.20 Asian Championship, and the U.17 team of this country reached the semi-finals, winning a ticket to the U.17 World Cup. The Uzbekistan team is also a "regular guest" in the third qualifying round of the World Cup, currently ranked 10th in Asia.

NECESSARY EXPERIENCE

The Vietnamese team will have four friendly matches with opponents in the top 20 of Asia right before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, including South Korea (ranked 4th), Uzbekistan (ranked 10th), China (ranked 11th) and Palestine (ranked 16th). If we count Syria (ranked 14th in Asia) that Coach Troussier and his team just met in June, it is clear that the Vietnamese team is having a very useful series of matches. These are not only "high-dose" tests for the key players to get back into the rhythm with a very high intensity of play, but also a test for the effectiveness of the control philosophy, helping the coaching staff make timely adjustments. The playing style as well as the personnel of the Vietnamese team will be molded and strengthened after these intense matches. If it is real gold, it must definitely overcome the heat of fire.

Expert Phan Anh Tu commented: "Vietnamese football has improved over time, so when the door to the World Cup opens wider with the number of teams increasing from 32 to 48, we need to have the right goals and a clear plan. The goal is to be present at the 2026 World Cup, on the basis of the previous World Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese team had good matches with top opponents. We drew with Japan, beat China, or caused many difficulties for Australia and Saudi Arabia. Of course, the Vietnamese team still has shortcomings to overcome. That is the experience of international competition, especially with strong teams. When facing top opponents, weaker teams, no matter how hard they try, can easily reveal their shortcomings in 90 minutes. Therefore, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)'s choice of strong opponents like Korea and Palestine is correct, helping players gain more experience, become more mature, and learn how to regulate their physical and mental strength."

Regarding coach Troussier's plan to rejuvenate the Vietnamese team, Mr. Phan Anh Tu analyzed: "In the World Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese team will meet teams with superior physical strength. Vietnamese players are skillful and have team spirit, but disadvantages in physical strength and physique will make the Vietnamese team prone to mistakes at important times, leading to losing matches. To reach the World Cup, the Vietnamese team must have a strong and deep force, only then can they go the long way, and cannot rely on just 15 or 16 players. The World Cup qualifiers are very fierce and long, so building an even force is a reasonable calculation."

Previously, the Vietnamese team’s guests in friendly matches were usually mid-level teams in Asia or in the Southeast Asian region. Only when participating in official tournaments, the Vietnamese team has the opportunity to compete with the powers of Asian football.

However, in the past 5 years, the Vietnamese team has faced many strong teams such as Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE, Oman, Jordan, China... Being trained against very strong opponents helps players progress quickly, become tougher and more courageous. For example, in the last 3 matches against Japan, the Vietnamese team only conceded 3 goals. Quang Hai and his teammates have overcome many opponents such as UAE (World Cup qualifiers) or Jordan (Asian Cup). That is proof of progress that can only be formed through experience and collision.

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