Some of my thoughts

Reflections after the game

Hi guys,

The match last Sunday really hit me hard and I’ve done a lot of thinking ever since. I would like to share with you guys my thoughts and I hope that you can contribute, rebut or build on my points to make the team better. Please bear in mind that whatever I have to say is solely for the benefits of the team, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING PERSONAL. And please notice that I never touch on anyone’s individual or technical capabilities but rather on the mental and tactical aspects.

1. Team attitude

We are a very young team, there’s no doubt about that. However, this is a lame excuse for us to keep making school-boy-errors and conceding dumb goals. The way we approached the games was disappointing to say the least. There were instances when 15 mins before games, people even smsed me, asking whether games were on or not. During warm-ups, people just do the things that they like instead of gathering together to discuss tactics or do some stretching. Worse still, during games, people just play their own ways without even thinking about the tactics that have been previously discussed. The end result is always that we would concede 2 or 3 goals, after which we would wake up and start to play seriously. I mean Sunday soccer is supposed to be fun and non-competitive. Yet, the taste of LOSING is always bitter, especially knowing that the loss can surely be avoided if we just pay a little bit more attention. Preparation is what differentiates loser and winners. Unless you approach the game with a right attitude, you would find that it takes very long for you to settle down and by then, you are already 2 or 3 goals down.

2. Leadership

I feel there is a serious lack of leadership in the team during games. Leaders are not only the captain or the Vice-Cap but also those who are willing to take charge and command their areas. The team needs more from the centre-backs and the keeper. I know you guys can do much more than that. By saying so, I did not mean to criticise your individual mistakes but rather to focus on the lack of cohesion between you guys. In mid-field, without Mr. Gia, nobody wants to take the initiatives. Mr. Trung should be more commanding and control the mid-field better. I know you are always the quiet, hard-working type (like Scholes), but then, a young team like FCFC needs you to do more than that.

3. Football as a THINKING GAME

This is the most important point that I want to share with you guys. The point started by a friend of mine who recently commented something to me that really got me thinking. He said that unless I put more effort in using my head during games, I would never be able to make the step up. He elaborated that Mr. Trung and I were like star-players in JC but then we failed to shine in Uni level while others improved by leaps and bounds. This is because we just play by INSTINCTS, by just doing what we are comfortable with. And we do not think much while we play. A striker is not only judged based on his speed or his shooting but also his off-the-ball runs and positioning. Likewise for Mr. Trung, a good mid-fielder is not only about fitness, passing and tackling but also about how he approaches a game and how he influences the tempo of the game. That is why Mr. Gia is so different to us. I remembered that Mr. Gia was just an INDIVIDUAL player when I first met him. I meant he had fantastic skills but I only saw him as a selfish player who discrupted the tempo and the game play of the team. A lot of my frens also said the same thing abt him when they played against him 2 years ago. However, he has really changed now. He passes the ball more and on top of that, he can really control the tempo of the game. His dribbling is not the same as before but rather they call it ‘tactical dribbling’ as by doing so, he pulls opponents to him and open up spaces for others to run to. And that makes all the difference.

Have you ever wondered why Vietnam has never won anything in the region? It is simply because Vietnamese players rarely think hard enough. We have many fantastic players with incredible skills (Bao Khanh, Cong Vinh), however, those players only play by their instincts. They just keep dribbling and do their own things. The end result is always that we fell at the last hurdles. Take a look at how Singapore and Thailand approach their games. They know what kind of opponents they are facing and have different approaches to different games. The Thais were just playing a very patient game and waited for their chances against us whereas the Singaporeans just packed their mid-field and discrupted our play. They purposely left us a lot of space down the flanks, knowing for sure that we would not be able to score from headers. Vietnamese players are just too ‘NGHE SI’ for those ‘THUC DUNG’ teams.

That’s all from me, I hope I have not offended anyone. Please let me know what u feel and contribute to my points ya? Best regards and see you all on Sunday. Vu