Coach Philippe Troussier practices with U23 Vietnam players. (Source: VFF)

AFC's homepage highly appreciated coach Philippe Troussier of the Vietnam team in the introduction of the "captains" of the teams in Group D.

AFC's homepage wrote: "Vietnam team head coach Philippe Troussier is a veteran coach at the Asian Cup, having led Japan to win the tournament in 2000 and coached Qatar to participate in this tournament in 2004."

Under new coach Philippe Troussier, the Vietnamese team has played a total of 8 matches (including friendly matches and 2026 World Cup qualifiers).

Coach Philippe Troussier's team had a favorable start with 3 consecutive 1-0 victories against Hong Kong (China), Syria and Palestine (friendly).

However, these victories have not demonstrated a "change" in the playing style under the French coach.

Next, the Vietnamese team had a "heavyweight" test against teams that were rated higher and the result was 3 losses in October 2023. We lost 0-2 to China and Uzbekistan before receiving a 0-6 loss to Asia's number 3 team, South Korea.

But these failures have helped coach Philippe Troussier and his team gain the necessary "lesson" to confidently enter the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - winning one match and losing one.

AFC also said: "Coach Troussier's achievements are also what coach Moriyasu - who is leading the Japanese team - aspires to repeat in this year's tournament."

Notably, the two coaches will have the opportunity to compete when the Vietnamese team faces the Japanese team in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Previously, on the official fanpage of the Asian Cup, AFC also posted a picture of striker Nguyen Tien Linh with the status line: "How far can Nguyen Tien Linh help the Vietnamese team go in the 2023 Asian Cup?"

In the 2023/24 V-League season, Tien Linh played quite well, contributing 3 goals and 3 assists for Becamex Binh Duong Club in the last 5 matches. AFC's article about the Vietnamese national team striker quickly attracted the attention of fans with many interactions.

In addition to Tien Linh, striker Pham Tuan Hai also received attention from AFC in this tournament.

AFC wrote: "Since reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, Vietnamese football has added many new stars to the squad and Pham Tuan Hai has become one of the most talked about players in Southeast Asia."

Pham Tuan Hai is currently in impressive form and will be the hope of the Vietnamese team at the 2023 Asian Cup finals when we are in a rather difficult group with the participation of Japan, Iran and Indonesia.

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese team will face Japan in the opening match on January 14 at Al Thumama Stadium.

In the second match, Japan will face Iraq, while Vietnam will face Indonesia at 9:30 p.m. on January 19 at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. This is considered the "easiest" match for coach Philippe Troussier and his team in this group.

The Vietnamese team will conclude their journey in the 2023 Asian Cup group stage with a match against the Iraqi team at 6:30 p.m. on January 24 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

( according to Vietnam+ )