Riedl, VFF talk lineup, training plan

The pressure was on national football head coach Alfred Riedl on Tuesday as he met with Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) officials to discuss planning for two crucial upcoming tournaments.

 

Riedl outlined his team”s preparations for a four-game meet in Austria, as well as his expectations for them at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games hosted by the Philippines in November. The side”s performance, a topic of intense national speculation, may determine the coach”s future with the Viet Nam team.
 

Riedl and VFF officials also decided to add a new face to the roster, adding V-League local top scorer Hoang Ngoc Linh of the Song Da Nam Dinh team. The coach had previously passed on Linh, but his recent performance has earned him a place on the national squad, and he is expected to join his new team-mates soon.

 

While the team holds training in Austria in October, the coach and VFF members will evaluate some Vietnamese players currently living in Eastern Europe. They hope a few more seasoned players will boost the national team at this gathering.

 

The team is scheduled to assemble on September 3 and warm-up with some matches with local teams before leaving for Austria. On their return they will participate in the Ha Noi Agribank Cup later in October, and then travel to the SEA Games in the Philippines where they are top-seeded in group B.
 

Riedl flew to Thailand yesterday to observe the Pre-SEA Games tournament which kicked-off early this week, leaving assistant-coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh in charge. Viet Nam didn”t participate because team managers felt players needed time to recuperate from V-League, First Division and National Football Cup plays, which have just ended. The team will now focus on relaxing and building strength for the upcoming Austrian tournament

 

(VNS)