Mukhairi concerned with changes in Vietnam team for U-23 Asian Cup

PETALING JAYA: Vietnam’s move to appoint a new coach with just two weeks before the start of the Under-23 Asian Cup campaign in Qatar is a cause of concern for national defender Mukhairi Ajmal.

French coach Philippe Troussier has parted ways with the Vietnam Football Federation recently.

The French coach did not help the Vietnamese team defeat Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Vietnam also failed to achieve their target to win gold in the Cambodia SEA Games last year, only settling for a bronze medal.

Currently, interim coach Mai Duc Chung is in charge of the Under-23 Vietnam side.

For Mukhairi, the pattern of Vietnam’s game has certainly changed under the management of the interim coach.

“The situation is seen as similar to what the national senior squad went through over the past two weeks when we lost twice to Oman in the recent 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers after the coach came out with unpredictable tactics.

“We know that Vietnam have a new coach and this makes them a mysterious team, so we have to be careful,” said Mukhairi.

The Harimau Muda side left early for Qatar on Sunday where they will play warm-up matches against China on April 3, Qatar (April 6 or 7) and a yet-to-be-decided match on April 10 or 11.

For the Under-23 Asian Cup, Malaysia are drawn in Group D with Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Kuwait. The top two teams in the group will advance to the quarter-finals.

Malaysia are placed in Group D and will take on Uzbekistan in the opening action on April 17.

The Under-23 squad will meet Vietnam in the second match on April 20 before facing Kuwait three days later.

The Selangor player is hopeful the team can clear the group stage hurdles to advance to the quarter-finals.

“All the players are ready as a team and personally, I aim to qualify for the quarter-finals and consider it a bonus if I manage to qualify for the semis,” he said.