After five years under the guidance of Coach Park Hang-seo, U23 Vietnam is expected to show a new face in the first match under Philippe Troussier at the Doha Cup. After three weeks of training, the 2001-2003 generation of players are eager to prove their abilities on the field. Coach Troussier himself admitted that he is also excited about this first game and hopes to see a positive outcome from the players.
After taking over in February, the French coach inherited many things from his predecessor Park Hang-seo, including the 3-4-3 formation. However, he also tried to make his own mark, especially in developing ball possession from the goalkeeper, the ability to press with high intensity, and constantly adjust and adapt to the diverse pace of the game. The U23 Vietnam's attack is also expected to improve their ability to handle the one-third of the pitch near the opponent's goal, an area that has been evaluated as hasty and lacking sharpness during training sessions.
The Doha Cup 2023 is seen as a test for teams aiming for the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers and ASIAD 19. For Vietnam, it is also the SEA Games 32 in Cambodia in May. Therefore, the result is not the most important thing. Here, Coach Troussier can assess the degree of understanding of his philosophy by the players. "We are just beginning, so we cannot demand perfection," the head coach of U23 Vietnam explained. U23 Iraq also has a similar long-term preparation perspective, seeing this friendly tournament as an opportunity to test the quality of their players. "We do not value the result of winning or losing at the Doha Cup and are ready to accept any criticism," said Iraq's coach Rani Shenaishil before the match.
After the last training session on March 21, Coach Troussier once again wants the players to forget about the pressure of the result and be ready for three things: to show their abilities, calmly cope with any variables, and play in any position even if it's not familiar. With the same understanding of the philosophy, these elements can be considered as minor criteria for evaluating players, rather than just focusing on the result with a win-at-all-costs mentality.
