Coach Troussier refuses to discuss his future after Vietnam's big defeat to Indonesia

By Hieu Luong   March 26, 2024 | 07:54 am PT
Coach Troussier refuses to discuss his future after Vietnam's big defeat to Indonesia
Coach Philippe Troussier reacts at the game between Vietnam and Indonesia at My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi on March 26, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa
Coach Philippe Troussier refused to talk about his future with Vietnam national football team, after they lost 0-3 to Indonesia and almost having no chance left in the 2026 World Cup second qualifying round.

At the press conference after the game at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi Tuesday night, Troussier was evasive when he received a question from VnExpress about the possibility of stepping down.

Instead, he praised the players' spirit and efforts and said that an objective perspective is needed on results and performance in this game.

"We created a significant number of opportunities, more than 10 finishing chances toward Indonesia. But we were ineffective in the final steps," Troussier said. "Creating such chances is not luck or coincidence. The players, despite the disadvantages, maintained their spirit and efforts until the end of the game. As the head coach, I admire the players for their discipline until the last minute. I think that if Vietnam scored one goal at some point, the game would have gone in a different direction."

When asked again about his future with Vietnam, Troussier said: "I respect the question, but this is not the time to talk about this but about the performance of the players."

Trousser added that he would work with the Vietnam Football Federation on Wednesday.

"Let’s focus on the performance for now. As for my future, I want everyone to talk about it at another time," he said. "As mentioned, Indonesia have become stronger with high-quality additions to the squad. Conceding an early goal made the match difficult for Vietnam. The team still tried to find a way to come back. Like I said we only needed one goal to have a better game. In football, we must accept such reality."

Answering questions regarding not using midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai in two games against Indonesia, Troussier said: "I’m the head coach and it’s my final decision to use which players. The team has 25 players and I can only pick 15. I have my own tactics and my own way of using the substitutions."

After four matches, Vietnam are third in group F with three points, four behind Indonesia and nine behind Iraq. Vietnam have almost no chance in the 2026 World Cup second qualifying round, while Indonesia only need one more victory, against Philippines or Iraq to advance. However, Troussier still stayed positive.

"Theoretically, we still have two games left and can get a maximum of six points. We can still surpass Indonesia if they fail to win the remaining two games. In football, anything can happen and the advancing chance is still there for Vietnam," he added.

In the last two games, Vietnam will face Philippines at home on June 6 and play an away game in Iraq on June 11.

 
 
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