The Vietnamese team ended the LPBank Cup 2024 "three-power" friendly tournament with 2 defeats against Russia and Thailand, scoring 1 goal and conceding 5 goals. Although it was a friendly tournament, with the purpose of reviewing the squad, the team's failures at this time made the fans feel even more disappointed, thereby the enthusiasm was no longer the same as before.
"This is a tournament where Mr. Kim Sang-sik has the opportunity to review the good players under Mr. Park Hang-seo. Key players who are not injured are all called up. This is considered an opportunity for the old players to prove their current ability and how much they can contribute.
In the next training session in October, when the V.League has started to play for a period, the players will get into the rhythm better. This training session is quite useful, but unfortunately it comes at a time when the national championship has not yet taken place, so many players are tense. From this, from the results to the team's playing style, we have not gained much" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
Judging by the number of spectators who came to cheer and the reactions on social media after the final whistle, the Vietnamese team is in a state of almost losing the trust of fans. It seems that the lingering effects of Philippe Troussier’s reign are still very heavy, causing the team’s resilience to disappear.
"During Mr. Troussier's time, the Vietnamese team's performance hit rock bottom. Even though Mr. Kim Sang-sik has arrived, everyone has a feeling that we are in a downward phase.
It's a pity that V.League has not taken place yet. If the national championship can run for a period, Mr. Kim can have more options to renew the team. We cannot blame Mr. Kim in this period because the team has too many old features, unable to break out" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
Bringing to Vietnam this time a squad with many new names, the Thai team still had an easy victory over Vietnam, even in the context of not being able to warm up when the match against Russia was canceled due to bad weather.
During the time Mr. Park led the Vietnamese team, Thai football had a slight decline in performance but the foundation was still very solid, with many successors. Therefore, the quick recovery was not surprising.
"Remember, Thai football reached the third qualifying round of the World Cup long before us. They also had a time when their performance declined but they bounced back very quickly. This was achieved thanks to the federation's methodical approach, the smooth coordination with the national championship and the continuous support of the bosses.
The matches between Vietnam and Thailand often seem tense, but that emotion usually comes from our side. They have a mindset of surpassing us, and may sometimes be at a disadvantage when Mr. Park appears, but in the long run, there is no need to worry. The Thai people consider the confrontation with Vietnam as having a counterweight to motivate them.
In that context, Vietnamese football still dreams of pursuing the goal of surpassing Thailand. We may have surpassed them a little in the recent past, but right now, we are far behind.
No matter how ups and downs the Thai team has gone through, they have always been consistent in their playing style. Even when playing against strong teams in international tournaments, they have always deployed an attacking style of play, using that as a guideline for development, rather than playing in a reactive manner.
The Thai players are young but very mature when facing Vietnam, that is very different" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
