How did coach Nguyen Thanh Cong create the undefeated Ha Tinh team?

Ha Tinh Club 'rises up from the mud and shines brightly'

Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's pensive expression after the 0-0 draw with Thanh Hoa in the final round of V-League last season, seemed to foreshadow a bad ending for Ha Tinh Club. Having the right to decide the final match, but against Thanh Hoa team who played with determination and passion even though they had only 10 men, Ha Tinh team only got 1 point and had to play the play-off.

In the match against PVF-CAND, Ha Tinh FC conceded the first goal, and then narrowly avoided relegation thanks to their superior experience. The explosive celebration at Hang Day Stadium ended the miserable season of the Red Mountain team. Despite losing 5 players due to a drug scandal, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong wanted to resign but then decided to stay, but Ha Tinh FC still escaped the brink of relegation.

Highlight Ha Tinh Club 1-0 HAGL Club | Round 8 V-League 2024-2025

Ha Tinh Club is unbeaten after 8 matches in V-League 2024 - 2025

Compared to the previous tight-fisted period, Ha Tinh Club has more surplus thanks to investment from businesses. However, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team still faces difficulties, having to "grab the scraps" with low-profile contracts from foreign players to domestic players.

However, Ha Tinh Club in V-League 2024 - 2025 is a tough team. 3 wins, 5 draws and third place after 8 matches is an unimaginable success for a team that had to compete to avoid relegation until the last round last season.

The first major credit goes to coach Nguyen Thanh Cong, who is very good at steering "rudderless ships". In 2018, Mr. Cong pulled the Saigon team (now disbanded) from the relegation zone to eighth place, then finished fifth in the 2019 season. In 2020, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong still helped Thanh Hoa Club win 14 points after 8 matches, despite taking charge of the team during difficult times.

Ha Tinh Club is a tough team, even though it doesn't have many stars.

Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh’s son has the ability to arouse, understand the players’ psychology and be firm and gentle at the right time. Having a teacher who makes the players respect him is important for any team. At the same time, Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong’s defensive counter-attack and scientific pressing tactics are also suitable for teams with moderate strength but strong will to improve like Ha Tinh Club.

Decide to take a risk...

Learning from last season's experience, Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong has prepared his team very carefully with the criteria: maybe not the best, but the most suitable person.

Geovane Magno has only scored 3 goals in 8 matches, but is very suitable for the style of play thanks to his ability to control the ball, create breakthroughs and penetrate the penalty area. Mbo Noel quickly integrated, showing his ability to sweep and fight one-on-one. Bui Duy Thuong is only at an "average" level, or the overseas Vietnamese factor Adou Minh, although still very new, is a perfect piece in the picture of Ha Tinh Club.

Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's strength lies in the fact that he makes good use of each player's strengths, with Luong Xuan Truong being an example. When he arrived at Ha Tinh at the end of the first half of last season, Xuan Truong was not used much in Hai Phong. The 29-year-old midfielder lost his form and his physical strength was not enough to play for 90 minutes.

Xuan Truong wears the captain's armband of Ha Tinh army

However, Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong still nodded to Xuan Truong. The fact that he and the leaders of Ha Tinh Club tried to convince Hai Phong Club to let Xuan Truong play in the match against the team from Hai Phong shows the respect that Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong has for his students. For Mr. Cong, as long as he puts them in the right place, every player has value and contributes to the team in their own way. This season, Xuan Truong has played in all 8 matches, including 5 starting matches. Thanks to his ability to control the game well, the former midfielder of HAGL has helped Ha Tinh become more stable and creative.

There was a time when Ha Tinh Club was jokingly called... "Hoa Tinh" because of too many draws in V-League. But that is also the thorny nature of this team. Each individual player may not be good, but when put together, Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team is hard to beat. It is a team that the Nghe An strategist said "has a high sense of professionalism and solidarity".

In the last 18 matches in all competitions, Ha Tinh FC has only lost 3, meaning that on average, they have lost 1 out of every 6 matches. Whether it is Hanoi, The Cong Viettel or Nam Dinh, every time they meet Ha Tinh this season, they have drawn or lost. Ha Tinh FC knows themselves and their opponents, chooses the right tactics based on their opponents and uses defense as a springboard. Calculating each match, being meticulous and humble is how Ha Tinh FC is slowly moving forward.

Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and his team can hold their heads high with what they have done. Through all the ups and downs, the Central region representative still stands tall and straight.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-ha-tinh-bat-bai-duoc-hlv-nguyen-thanh-cong-tao-nen-nhu-the-nao-18524111713085079.htm