Head coach Mai Duc Chung: The happiness is multiplied when the whole team comes to New Zealand
The Vietnam women’s team has been in New Zealand for nearly a day and completed the first two training sessions at Napier. Sharing at the training session on the morning of July 7, head coach Mai Duc Chung expressed his excitement and pride when he and the entire Vietnamese women’s team were present in New Zealand on the journey to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
08/07/2023 04:39:22
“My first impression with the Vietnam women’s team when coming to New Zealand this time is very different. In the past, when I went to attend the draw ceremony, I was also very honored to be interested by the FIFA Secretary General in the first time I attended this prestigious tournament. But this time, the happiness multiplied when the whole team came here to attend the Women’s World Cup. This is something we’ve been wanting for a long time and now it’s done. I feel very honored and proud to present at New Zealand.
The time of the tournament is winter in New Zealand, so it is very important to keep warm and ensure the best status for the players. However, coach Mai Duc Chung also said that this is a problem all teams have to face. “Like the American team or the teams from Africa, they also come from regions with hot weather before turning to cold weather here. It’s not always possible to get favorable weather conditions, the teams will have to cope. The team that can fix it faster and better will be able to play more smoothly.”
The Vietnam women’s team will have two friendly matches with the host New Zealand and the Spain women’s team before entering the official tournament. These will be two important tests for positions before the coaching staff make tactical calculations for the matches in the group stage. “We stayed at Napier for six days to play against the home team. This is a good test. The two friendlies will be a good opportunity for us to get acquainted with the team’s style of play, thereby gradually overcoming our difficulties.”
To prepare for this trip, VFF and the coaching assistant have made careful calculations for a long time. “I have created plans for athletes to get used to the weather, time zones and intensity of competition. Today we will practice 2 mornings and afternoons, tomorrow the team will practice 1 session. As the match day approaches, we will gradually reduce the frequency of training, but will still maintain a high intensity so that the players quickly catch up to the competition density.
This morning, head coach Mai Duc Chung spent time for fitness coach Cedric Roger to set the practice of playing speed, narrow range and handling the ball. This afternoon, the whole team will continue to have the third practice session at 6:30 pm (local time).
