U.17 Vietnam: Pain to grow up

U.17 Vietnam stopped at the group stage of the U.17 Asian Cup finals after a 0-1 loss to U.17 Uzbekistan last night (June 23). Entering the final match with the goal of having to win to qualify for the next round, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team could not create any surprises. U.17 Vietnam lost completely from the game, team organization to tactics. Defending deep, Nguyen Cong Phuong and his teammates waited for their opponents to make mistakes to launch counterattacks. However, U.17 Uzbekistan played very tightly. The Central Asian team controlled the ball firmly, attacked comprehensively with close cohesion in all positions and diverse attacking strategies. Shodiboev's only goal after Mirzayev's pass was the result of an uneven game, which U.17 Vietnam, despite their best efforts, could not reverse.

U.17 Vietnam (middle) stopped after losing 0-1 to U.17 Uzbekistan last night.

Before the 2023 AFC U17 Championship finals, coach Hoang Anh Tuan emphasized that each match is a test for U17 Vietnam. The Asian playground is very different from Southeast Asia, because the opponents are not only strong, but also come from many diverse football schools. A ticket to the U17 World Cup if they reach the semi-finals is also an attractive enough reward for strong football teams such as Japan, Korea, and Uzbekistan to compete with all their might. U17 Vietnam also has a thorough preparation process with many stages of player screening, training and international friendly matches. However, the gap in skill level cannot be filled in the near future. At the U17 level, maintaining a stable playing rhythm and a consistent playing style when facing strong opponents is even more difficult, because of the obstacle wall called competition psychology.

U.17 Vietnam had some good moments, like the first half of the matches against U.17 India or U.17 Japan, when coach Hoang Anh Tuan's players controlled the ball well, launched coherent attacks, and had clear ideas. However, the playing range of a strong team is always maintained stably throughout the match, while for lower-ranked teams, good play only exists in a few isolated moments. U.17 Vietnam has not been able to surpass its potential to become a strong team, due to a lack of perseverance and experience.

But at the youth level, falls are inevitable to overcome in order to reach the "coming of age ceremony". Reaching the Southeast Asian finals and winning a ticket to the Asian finals in 2022 has proven that although this is not an outstanding generation, it has potential.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/u17-viet-nam-dau-de-truong-thanh-185230623121201964.htm