Tien Linh lost points, coach Philippe Troussier had a surprising action

After being put on the field at the end of the second half, striker Nguyen Tien Linh received a red card for "physical impact" on a Chinese player. The striker wearing the number 22 shirt only had exactly 10 minutes with 1-2 touches of the ball and 1 red card. This was truly a forgettable debut for coach Philippe Troussier.

It seems that Tien Linh's fate with Coach Troussier has not come yet. Since leading the Vietnam team in March, this is the first time the Binh Duong Club striker has played, but instead of making an impression, he became the center of attention with an unnecessary foul.

Of course, after the 0-2 loss of the Vietnam team Before China, Tien Linh's bad image was criticized by public opinion, many people even asked coach Philippe Troussier to "kick out" this striker from the Vietnam team.

But coach Philippe Troussier did not do that, because it was unfair and too harsh. The French coach himself had been waiting for Tien Linh's return after his injury. The fact that Mr. Troussier used the striker born in 1997 also showed his own calculations.

Why did coach Troussier not put Tien Linh in the starting lineup but wait until the match was almost over? In addition to testing the option of pushing Hoang Duc up to play as a striker, while Van Toan and Tuan Hai put pressure on the wings, the French coach seemed to want Tien Linh to have more motivation to perform when he entered the field.

Coach Philippe Troussier's use of Tien Linh was not wrong, but unfortunately, his student was too eager to score points, as shown in his debut with the head coach, and had an uncontrolled action that led to a red card.

Coach Troussier emphasized that this is still the team's preparation phase to serve the main goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The players do not need to worry about the results of the friendly matches. The important thing is that the team is gradually implementing the coaching board's ideas.

Tien Linh was suspended for the match against Korea and that was the price he deserved. But coach Philippe Troussier will likely continue to give the 26-year-old striker a chance in the match against Uzbekistan on October 13 (this match is not an official FIFA friendly, the two teams are allowed to make substitutions freely).

Only then, Mr. Troussier will not make Tien Linh lose his spirit and desire. Knowing how to correct mistakes and improve, Tien Linh is still an important factor for the Vietnamese team in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying journey.