Coach Polking: 'Vietnamese players need to be brave enough to leave their comfort zone'

Coach Polking hopes that Vietnamese players will step out of their comfort zone. Photo: CAHN .

Sharing with Tri Thuc - Znews , Coach Mano Polking - who led the Thai team to win the AFF Cup twice and is currently leading CAHN, spoke up to encourage Vietnamese players to boldly go abroad. According to him, this is not only an opportunity to develop professionally but also a journey to mature in thinking, courage and personality.

Vietnamese players need to be braver

But unfortunately, while regional football is witnessing an increasingly strong wave of “player export”, in Vietnam, this is still a troubling problem. Coach Polking’s argument is not new. However, it is always true in the context of modern football.

If players do not dare to face harsher environments, it will be very difficult for them to overcome their own limits. Mr. Polking is not only talking about expertise. In fact, Vietnamese players are not too inferior to those of Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia.

What he emphasized was the psychological issue. Players need to have the mindset to step out of their comfort zone. This is the core element that Vietnamese football still lacks.

Mr. Polking makes an interesting comparison with Brazilian players - the country with the largest number of players abroad in the world . "They are not afraid to go far. They are willing to accept playing anywhere as long as there is an opportunity to earn a living and assert themselves."

It's the mindset of people who understand where they stand in the global football ecosystem, and know that if they don't leave, they could be eliminated right at home.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese players are living in an ideal “comfort zone”. They have a stable income, live among the love of fans, do not need to learn a foreign language, and do not worry about cultural barriers.

Everything has been prepared to maintain a “domestic star” status. In their eyes, playing abroad is no different from gambling on reputation, a trade-off that most do not dare to make.

Coach Polking believes that the level of Vietnamese players is not inferior to players from other countries. Photo: CAHN.

This view partly reinforces the very frank sharing of goalkeeper Nguyen Filip recently. He believes that the biggest difference between Vietnamese players and European players is the “willingness to leave”.

In Europe, young players always dream of going abroad, because they understand that it is an inevitable path to maturity. In Vietnam, the majority choose to stay to maintain the image of "domestic heroes".

That explains why while Thai, Indonesian or Malaysian football players often play in Japan, Korea, or Europe, Vietnamese players still stay in the country. Or if they do go abroad, they rarely stay long.

More importantly, the region's successful overseas players not only help themselves improve but also bring national pride, becoming symbols of the progress of the entire football industry.

Vietnamese players' level is not bad, but...

In terms of skills, as Coach Polking himself admitted, Vietnamese players are not weak. The problem is that they do not accept challenges. If they do not accept challenges, they will never be able to reach higher standards.

It's a negative cycle where international success remains stagnant, and people blame it on "lack of experience at the highest level". But the very people who have the power to change that refuse to step out of their "comfort zone".

A clear contrasting example is the case of Brazilian foreign players in the V.League. They come from a country with a illustrious football tradition, having won the world championship many times. But because of the fierce competition, they are forced to go abroad, accepting to play in small tournaments to have the opportunity to earn a living and compete professionally. Meanwhile, many Vietnamese players still choose to keep the position of "big stars in small villages".

CAHN coach hopes players change their mindset. Photo: CAHN.

Most of the Brazilian foreign players in V.League have quickly established their position. Many have become important pillars of their teams, thanks to their technical foundation and ability to adapt well to harsh environments. The most typical success is the case of Nguyen Xuan Son. The Brazilian-born player not only played outstandingly in V.League but was also naturalized and became the spearhead of the Vietnamese national team's attack.

However, if looking from the perspective of domestic players, the number of those who dare to step out of their comfort zone and are willing to take on challenges in a new environment is still too small. This is still a big difference between foreign players and Vietnamese players.

Going abroad is not a guaranteed ticket to success. But Coach Polking emphasized: "If you don't succeed, you can absolutely come back. Here, everyone will still welcome you." The problem is, if you never step out, you will not know where your true limits lie - and you will not be able to contribute to raising the level of Vietnamese football on the regional map.

As long as the "domestic star" mentality still prevails, the dream of reaching out to the big sea will forever remain just a beautiful slogan. If we want to change, we must start with the aspiration and dedication of each individual. That is no longer the story of each individual player, but the measure of whether a football foundation dares to change or not.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-polking-cau-thu-viet-nam-can-dung-cam-roi-vung-an-toan-post1567354.html