New coach lays out plans to revive women's football

New coach Mai Duc Chung plans to rejuvenate the national women's football squad that will compete at the coming Asian Games (ASIAD) in the Republic of Korea (RoK) this September.

"I came to Nha Trang to watch the performance of players in the second leg of the national championship. I think the list of probables for the national team, in comparison with the one under former coach Chen Yun Fa, will see a lot of changes," said Chung.

"I will bring in new blood, but the rejuvenation will be considered carefully," he said.

Coach Dang Quoc Tuan of the Hanoi 1, which just won the national trophy, agreed with Chung.

"This is necessary and needs to be done in a thorough manner because some key players are past their prime," he said.

"They did a fair job in the championship, but if we continue to keep them in the national squad they will not be a part of the new coach's tactics," he added.

In the latest summon, there were six players around 30, such as goalkeeper Dang Kieu Trinh, midfielders Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Thi Nga, Tran Thi Kim Hong (all 29), captain Le Thi Thuong, and Nguyen Thi Kim Tien. None of them have been recalled to the coming tournament.

According to coach Tuan, who is also one of the assistants to the head coach, there are at least one or two substitutes who can play in the positions vacated by these players.

The 63-year-old Chung said Vietnam had no chance of making it to the top three at the ASIAD where all the continental powerhouses will be competing.

He would take this opportunity as the first step towards training his young team, expecting them to be ready by 2016.

Head coach assistant Van Thi Thanh said it was time to groom young players as there were no international competitions in the next two years. During this period they would have time to train hard and grow.

The players were not despondent about being dropped.

"There is nothing to be sad about. I am overage for big competitions and can only play up to 70 minutes in total. Now we have to find youngsters," said captain Thuong.

"I know I am past my prime and have decided to quit international competition by the end of this year. We need to give a chance to the youth so that they can progress quickly," said midfielder Hong.

The new squad starts their first training course starting on August 15. Vietnam failed to qualify for the 2015 World Cup. They also suffered a defeat in the final of the Southeast Asian Games last year in Myanmar.