In the early morning of January 12, Real Madrid lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. Less than 24 hours later, when the U23 Vietnam team was showing one of their best matches against U23 Saudi Arabia, the Royal team announced their farewell to coach Xabi Alonso. U23 Vietnam fought bravely and won 1-0 and of course, coach Kim Sang-sik continued to be honored.
Putting Real Madrid and U23 Vietnam next to each other is not to compare but to talk about the aspect of solidarity in a team. Alonso was one of the big names of the team when he was a player, but coach is another role. And in the "White House", existence, often, is not a professional factor. At the Bernabeu, Alonso could not control the dressing room.
It should also be said that Alonso is not the only one who has experienced this situation in Madrid, where the so-called "black sheep group" still exists as a terrible force. In other words, while Alonso has not yet (or has not) been able to create a united team, he has lost his seat because of the solidarity of a group of players who do not like what he brings to the Bernabeu.
Unity becomes strength when there is a common goal that is clear enough and large enough. In this regard, U23 Vietnam has more than the famous Spanish team. Players who do not come from the same club but have a common goal, large enough, is the success of U23 Vietnam in the continental tournament.
From the story of solidarity, people used to talk a lot about "collective" and "combined" to distinguish. Real Madrid and U23 Vietnam at this time are examples of that. When each individual understands their role, respects the role of others and believes in a common mechanism, the whole will create values far beyond each person's total capacity. Conversely, if solidarity is directed towards group interests, they can maintain competitiveness by the capacity of outstanding individuals, but cannot be sustainable.
Unity does not replace capacity, discipline or responsibility, but along with these factors, solidarity will become a powerful catalyst, bringing strength to the collective. Isn't it true that people still say "if you want to go far, go together"?
