Coach Cristiano Roland: 'Vietnam U17 focuses on each match'

Head coach Cristiano Roland stated that the Vietnam U17 team has undertaken rigorous preparation and will approach the Southeast Asian U17 Championship with intense concentration, addressing each game individually.

At the press conference before the group stage begins, the Brazilian coach thanked host country Indonesia for its thoughtful hospitality. He also mentioned that the team had 10 days of training in Hanoi before departing for the tournament.

According to his assessment, Vietnam U17's group shares many similarities with the previous qualifying round, while also featuring opponents with high professional quality.

"We know this is a very difficult group with strong teams. However, the whole team always approaches it in our own way, which is to focus on tackling each match one at a time and giving our utmost effort in every game," he shared.

Besides the immediate objectives, Coach Cristiano Roland also emphasized the development direction for Vietnam's youth football. According to him, the current generation of players – including many born in 2010 – has been prepared early and is gradually maturing. Notably, some players born in 2008 have had opportunities to play in V.League 1 and even score goals, showing positive development potential.

He said the team is still in the process of refinement. With a limited preparation timeframe, the coaching staff continues to maintain the approach used in the qualifiers, while focusing on each specific match. "We are in a strong group, but the whole team will strive to the fullest. Through each match, the players will mature and improve."

Additionally, this coach particularly stressed the psychological aspect of competition. The coaching staff always instills confidence in the players, requiring them to maintain high concentration and self-belief, aiming for each specific target, starting with the opening match.