The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Vice Chair Nguyen Lan Trung on January 29 talked to VietNamNet about between the VFF, the National Coaching Council and the national football squad’s coach Henrique Calisto on January 27.

VFF Vice Chair Nguyen Lan Trung, who is in charge of communications, told VietNamNet that the focus of the meeting on January 27 was learning from the past experience and working out a plan for the national squad and the Olympic team in 2011, not to review the contract between VFF and coach Calisto.

“We didn’t mention this issue in the meeting at all,” Trung confirmed.

“It is said that Calisto made some tactical mistakes at AFF Cup 2010. It is completely untrue!” Trung added.

“Being in charge of communications at VFF, I followed the national squad and I confirmed that that the tactics that Mr. Calisto used at the AFF Cup 2010 were entirely reasonable,” he said.

Trung said that the first semi-final game in Malaysia showed that Mr. Calisto used two different tactics in each half.

In the first half, the team fiercely attacked the rival’s goal and firmly defended its own. Being guests, their one goal is worth as much as two scored at home.

In the second half, having failed to score any goal, the team concentrated on defense aiming for a draw. However, Malaysian players scored two goals, both in unexpected circumstances.

“Malaysia had only three opportunities and they scored twice due to mistakes of our players, not the mistakes of coach Calisto,” Trung said.

According to Trung, in the game against the Philippines at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi, the guest team’s tactic surprised Vietnam. Moreover, they had up to eight nationalized players.

The VFF Vice Chair said that Vietnam lacked good strikers at the AFF Cup 2010.

“The Vietnamese team’s performance was appropriate considering the players’ physical strength and figures. The Asian Football Confederation praised Vietnam for one of the most outstanding teams at the AFF Cup 2010,” Trung said.

About the plans for 2011, Trung said that the national squad and the Olympic team need to meet at the training camp for only three weeks before any major events.

Not to change the tactic that has been developed by coach Calisto, VFF allows the Portuguese coach to lead both teams in 2011.

Noted by Thien Binh