Former Vietnam national team coach Mai Duc Chung pointed out some weaknesses of Vietnamese players in comparison with arch-rivals Thailand.
In an exclusive interview with VnExpress, Chung stated that Thailand are more practical than Vietnam.
“Our players often feel strained when playing with them. This is the reason why we almost always lose, although our technique is not inferior to theirs,” Chung said.
“On the other hand, I think Vietnamese players are not as practical as Thai counterparts. Thai players can take advantage of their opportunities very effectively, but our players usually fail to turn our chances into goals.
“In my opinion, this problem roots from the youth training system. The football youth training academies in Vietnam do not take into account the technique of young players and think that those techniques will grow with age.
“However, we have to fix this problem when the players are at the lower level. In addition, we only focus on developing techniques to the players but do not pay much attention to the psychology aspect.”
