4 former V-League champions racing to avoid relegation: HAGL, Da Nang and who else?

The V-League relegation race is gradually taking shape, with familiar names such as HAGL, Da Nang, SLNA, and two surprising faces named Becamex TP.HCM and Thanh Hoa.

V-League is hot right from the opening round

Although the number of relegation spots in V-League has been adjusted from 2 to 1.5 (1 straight relegation spot and 1 play-off spot), the survival race this season is still very hot.

After 4 rounds, there are still 4 teams that have not known victory, including Hanoi , Da Nang, Thanh Hoa (both 2 points after 4 matches) and HAGL (1 point after 3 matches). In addition, there are teams that have known victory, but are showing signs of decline such as SLNA (4 points) and Becamex TP.HCM (3 points).

Becamex TP.HCM (blue shirt) plummets

PHOTO: KHA HOA

These could be the pieces that will create the picture of the relegation race this season, because the above teams (except Hanoi FC) are all unstable. Either they have young and in-depth forces like HAGL, SLNA and Da Nang FC, or they have problems with the upper management and internal "shaken" like Thanh Hoa FC, or they are "bleeding forces" and have not had time to adapt like Becamex TP.HCM.

First of all, the faces that had to struggle to survive last season such as SLNA, Da Nang and HAGL are likely to continue to compete for relegation this season. Because, all three teams have not had a breakthrough in terms of force.

The title of "Club using the most young players in V-League" is a sad note for SLNA, because the Nghe An team continues to operate with a limited budget, can only use self-trained young players, and average foreign players. SLNA's training quality has also declined over the past 10 years, with the number of young talents decreasing each year.

This season, when pillars like Xuan Tien (19 V-League matches last season) or Van Viet (the youngest captain of V-League) left Vinh stadium one after another, SLNA was already weak and now... even weaker.

Last season's National Cup runner-up position will not be "insurance" for SLNA to be confident, because when opponents compete for strength, the Vinh team's expectation of only relying on "homegrown" products is no different from a risky gamble.

SLNA force is too young

PHOTO: VPF

HAGL also trusts young players. The philosophy of using young players has been with HAGL for nearly a decade, however, the current generation is even far behind their seniors in terms of skill level and competitive mentality.

With half of the team not having even 2 years of V-League experience, Coach Le Quang Trai's students will find it difficult to withstand the storm. HAGL's strength is probably just that they are used to fighting for relegation (8/11 recent seasons), so they will have a reasonable strategy to survive.

Despite their efforts, Da Nang FC of coach Le Duc Tuan has not yet escaped the label of an average and weak team in the V-League. The Han River team is far from its golden age, and despite its efforts to rebuild its brand based on young blood, Da Nang FC will find it difficult to stay out of the relegation race, when both domestic and foreign players are not outstanding.

Surprise

After a 3-0 victory over HAGL on the opening day, Becamex TP.HCM lost 4 consecutive matches (3 V-League matches, 1 National Cup match), scoring 2 goals and conceding 11.

Coach Nguyen Anh Duc's students were unlucky to face many strong teams in the past few days, such as CAHN Club (lost 0-3), The Cong Viettel (lost 0-2) or Ho Chi Minh City Police (lost 1-3).

However, the 1-3 loss to Truong Tuoi Dong Nai in the National Cup preliminary round was a "red alert", showing that Becamex TP.HCM is having problems. Despite losing Tien Linh, the quality of the squad under coach Anh Duc is still at a fairly good level in the V-League.

Coach Anh Duc bears the pressure on his shoulders

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

However, the recent defeats only show a superficial and lackluster performance. If he cannot control the team and return to the top group soon (Becamex TP.HCM wants to enter the top 3), the former striker of the Vietnamese national team may lose his position.

Thanh Hoa FC played with a resolute spirit to snatch 1 point against Hai Phong at home, but the Thanh team is still far from returning. Coach Choi Won-kwon has shown his ability to inspire, but in terms of expertise, playing style and player selection, Coach Kim Sang-sik's "deputy general" has not left an impression.

Sadly, this year's relegation race is dragging along 4 former V-League champions (HAGL, Da Nang, SLNA, Becamex TP.HCM) and 1 former National Cup champion (Thanh Hoa). The past glory seems to have no value anymore, when the clubs lack continuity and inheritance,

"Football clubs operate in a... hand-to-mouth manner, spending whatever money they are given. That is difficult to sustain," expert Doan Minh Xuong told Thanh Nien Newspaper.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/4-cuu-vuong-v-league-dua-tru-hang-co-hagl-da-nang-va-doi-nao-nua-185250922143529974.htm