Coach Calisto and forward Tran Thanh Binh of the Vietnamese under-23 footbal squad

With Vietnam’s under-23 football squad made up of mostly greenhorns, coach Henrique Calisto is banking on teamwork rather than individual brilliance to win a medal at the SEA Games in December.

“Building up a new team is never easy,” Calisto told Thanh Nien early this week. “Two months together, with two friendly competitions and a training trip, is hardly enough for the players to really become a team.”

There are lots of difficulties because most of the U23s chosen this time rarely played for their clubs in the 2009 season, said Tran Van Phuc, vice chairman of the National Council of Coaches.

“Only nine (Tan Truong, Khoa Dien, Van Duyet, Dac Khanh, Trong Hoang, Quy Suu, Thanh Luong, Tien Thanh and Dinh Tung) out of the 33 squad members were regularly in their clubs’ starting line-ups. The others were rarely or never on the field,” Phuc said.

It is extremely difficult to forge a strong side and get the players to stick with the tactics and strategies when the coaching staff has just two months to train them, Phuc added.

Calisto said he had read suggestions and questions about why this or that player had not been included in the squad, but felt no need to explain himself.

“I know what must be done. In the past there was much criticism of the players, and of me, but they were all confident and strong,” Calisto said.

“It is the same for the U23s this time. Nobody has ever won without hard work”.

Reported by Thanh Luong