Vietnam team without Quang Hai, coach Troussier needs Van Quyet

For players over 30, the difference between last season and next season can be huge due to physical reasons. That is perhaps the only reason to doubt Nguyen Van Quyet’s ability to contribute at this point. However, his skills – even if they can only be used for around 70 minutes per game – are still useful for the Vietnamese team.

Van Quyet was once expected to be an important part of the squad under coach Philippe Troussier, when the Vietnamese team emphasized ball control. However, the striker born in 1991 was not used for a single minute, only sitting on the bench in the match against Palestine. It was not until the Vietnamese team entered the big campaign that Van Quyet was called back.

The reason why coach Troussier called back Van Quyet

The answer lies in the distinctive qualities of the Hanoi FC captain compared to his other teammates. Up to this point, Mr. Troussier has 7 strikers in his team: Nguyen Tien Linh, Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Van Quyet and Nguyen Van Tung.

Among them, Van Tung and Tien Linh are basic strikers, with good physique and strength but not good speed. Their strengths are brought into play when they create enough chances and are close to the goal.

Dinh Bac, Van Toan and Thanh Nhan have the ability to play wide to have "space" to make breakthroughs and accelerate. Tuan Hai plays simply, directly and loves handling the ball at high speed.

Only Van Quyet brings the solution in terms of the ability to keep the ball and make decisive passes - something that coach Troussier himself admitted that most strikers in Vietnamese football lack. Van Quyet's ability to take advantage of opportunities and score goals is also proven in the V.League.

This is an important factor for Coach Troussier to decide to call up Van Quyet. He needs a new personnel plan after many experiments did not bring good results.

Nguyen Hoang Duc was given a chance to try playing as a striker - the position he used to play at Viettel before. This player's dropping back to the back line to make the ball open up space for the wingers to operate. However, coach Troussier needs other options while waiting for Hoang Duc to adapt.

Waiting for Van Quyet to solve the problem of the attack line

Van Quyet does not automatically have a starting position in the Vietnam national team. The first friendly matches under coach Troussier show that.

Most likely, this veteran striker will still only be a reserve option when he returns, but he will gradually make his way into the squad. The Vietnamese team needs a striker who can play with his back to the opponent and move widely, especially when Quang Hai is injured and Cong Phuong is not called up due to poor form.

In the recent matches of the Vietnam team, there have been two problems with the strikers. First, the Vietnamese team's strikers have had many shots but often missed the target.

According to statistics, the players have taken 24 shots in the last 3 matches but only 3 of them were on target. The percentage of shots on target was only 12.5% ​​and no goals were scored.

The second problem is that the number of shots taken inside the box is quite low, only equivalent to the number of shots from distance. This means that the Vietnamese team lacks the passes and combinations to create dangerous enough opportunities in favorable positions for the strikers.

Those are the two problems that Van Quyet can be the answer to. In the last 6 matches, Van Quyet only had 1 assist for Hanoi FC. The problem also comes from the fact that the capital team is in a difficult period, the foreign strikers are playing erratically. Van Quyet himself moves very wide, with the task of developing the ball for attacks.

But clearly, everyone sees that Van Quyet is very dangerous if he plays close to the goal. His finishing ability and sometimes his scoring ability are still very impressive.

The last time Vietnam played the Philippines, Van Quyet scored. It was not an outstanding performance, but perhaps that is all Vietnam needs now. Before he can move towards the football he desires, Coach Troussier still needs victories, even if they are not convincing.