Japanese coach blasted for lackluster, pro-violence football

by Tuoitrenews11 September 2015 Last updated at 18:00 PM

VTV.vn - Toshiya Miura, the head coach of the Vietnamese national and U23 teams, has run into a groundswell of criticism over his lackluster performance at both squads, 16 months after taking over the hot seat.

The Japanese national took the Vietnam job in May 2014 and quickly won support from local fans and the press as he led both teams to several impressive victories.

But apparently 2015 has not been a good year for Miura, as a wave of criticism is targeted at him on social networks, football forums and in the media following a series of uninspiring games he recently had with the national squad and the U23 team.

 

Vietnam's coach Toshiya Miura shouts instructions to his players during a match in this file photo.

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The latest match of the 52-year-old coach with the national team was the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying game on Tuesday, where Vietnam earned a 2-1 away win over Taiwan.

The victory was considered a fluke for the Vietnamese players, as what they displayed was not an impressive performance, but unfair-play and violent football.

Vietnamese football players were not known for being pro-violence until they are coached by the Japanese boss.

The Vietnamese players now tend to commit fouls more frequently and unnecessarily, and when their opponent fell over after being tackled, they would just continue the game as if nothing had happened.

 

Vietnam U23s showed such disrespect for the fair play rules multiple times at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore in June, and the full-fledged national team exhibited it again in the Taiwan match, which greatly displeased even the most passionate Vietnamese football aficionados.

In the 57th minute, when Vietnam still took a 1-0 lead, a Taiwanese player was lying on the field out of an injury and his teammates were expecting the Vietnamese to kick the ball out of play.

“But the Vietnamese players still continued playing and rushing toward the Taiwanese goal,” a local fan wrote on his Facebook, mockingly calling it “the most memorable moment of the game.”

Miura has been ‘remembered’ for bringing such an ugly style of play to the Vietnamese teams.

The Taiwan game was the second match of Vietnam in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, following the 0-1 loss to Thailand in their opener in May, an encounter where their head coach was also criticized for a dull performance.

Nguyen Van Sy, a former Vietnamese international, also said coach Miura has failed to leave any impression in the way he steers the national and U23 teams.

 

“The most suitable tactics for the Vietnamese are one-two and group passing, given their physique, but Miura seemingly prefers long passes and high balls,” Sy said.

“Such Vietnamese stars as Cong Vinh and Van Quyet have thus failed to display their best ability due to such unsuitable tactics”

Sy also complained that the Japanese coach is quite conservative as he rarely gives new players a chance to prove themselves, and he has thus ignored many talents, including rising star Cong Phuong.

“I think Cong Phuong is a real talent and deserves a place at the national squad,” he asserted.

Cong Phuong, trained by an Arsenal-backed football academy, was not recruited for the Taiwan game, a decision local football fans deemed unfathomable.

But Miura does have some good stories to tell about his journey with Vietnam.

 

At the 2014 Asian Games in the Republic of Korea, he led Vietnam U23s through a shock 4-1 triumph over Iran.

He also enjoyed a wave of praises for using different formations for different games at the 2014 AFF Cup taking place later that year in Vietnam.

Vietnam failed to win the AFF Cup, but Miura was dubbed ‘soccer sorcerer’ after their greatest game in the championship, where they beat Malaysia 2-1 on the latter’s soil in the first leg of their semifinal.

Miura was so loved by Vietnamese supporters that he received no complaint after they lost 2-4 to Malaysia in the second leg in Hanoi.

But Vietnamese fans have not had any chance to feel so happy with their beloved football teams so far this year.

Miura’s players exhibited a completely different performance in 2014 than this year and Vietnamese fans are wondering what is wrong with the coach they used to love and trust.

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