Cong Phuong will not attend the 2023 Asian Cup with the Vietnamese team

According to many sources, Cong Phuong is not on the preliminary list of 50 players for the Vietnamese national team heading to the 2023 Asian Cup finals. Previously, this striker was not called up by coach Philippe Troussier for the FIFA Days friendly match series in September. October and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November.

The last time Cong Phuong appeared in the Vietnam national team’s shirt was in a friendly match with the Palestinian national team on September 11. In this match, Cong Phuong came off the bench to score the opening goal in a 2-0 victory at Thien Truong Stadium.

However, coach Philippe Troussier believes that Cong Phuong must play more at the club level to compete for a position in the Vietnam national team. The French coach also set stricter tactical requirements for the Nghe striker.

“Cong Phuong scored and if we evaluate his overall performance, I consider it acceptable. But the lack of playing experience makes it difficult for Cong Phuong to play football continuously at high intensity. I advised him to find more opportunities to play at the club level to compete fairly in his position. Because I ask the players to have more energy, especially when they don’t have the ball” – Coach Philippe Troussier shared after the match between Vietnam National Team and Palestinian National Team.

Coach Troussier believes that Cong Phuong needs to play more at the club level to compete for a position in the Vietnam national team.

Last season, Cong Phuong only had a few minutes of official playing time for Yokohama FC. This striker’s parent team was also relegated to J-League 2. Currently, Cong Phuong still has a contract with Yokohama FC, but left open the possibility of continuing to play football in Japan or returning to Vietnam to play.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese national team is expected to reunite on December 28 to prepare for the 2023 Asian Cup finals. Coach Philippe Troussier and his team will practice at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until December 5. January 2024 will depart for Qatar.

According to the schedule, Vietnam National Team will play 3 matches in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup finals against Japan, Indonesia and Iraq on January 14, January 19 and January 24, 2024 respectively. Before that, coach Philippe Troussier and his team will have a practice friendly match with Kyrgyzstan on January 9, 2024.