When Mr. Duc's HAGL became a 'steely' team

Don't underestimate HAGL

When mentioning HAGL, the most memorable details that Mr. Duc's team suggests to fans are probably only two aspects: rejuvenation and relegation.

The reason for the rejuvenation is because the mountain town team is the group that paved the way for the philosophy of completely replacing the main squad with self-trained players, ready to promote young faces to fight in the V-League. But also because of the bold decision of Mr. Duc, Minh Vuong and his teammates fell into the second category: 7 out of the last 9 seasons, the relegation race called HAGL's name.

HAGL (yellow shirt) unbeaten in the first 5 matches of the season

Despite escaping relegation all 7 times, HAGL has gradually become a team lacking both identity and ambition. By the time Kiatisak left the coaching position at the beginning of the 2023-2024 season, HAGL was stuck at the bottom of the table, with only 2 points after 7 matches.

Looking back at the difficulties of 1 year ago, we can see that HAGL has changed dramatically. From an "invincible" team, HAGL has become an undefeated team: won 2, drawn 3 after 5 rounds, possessing the second best attack (8 goals) and the best defense (2 goals) in V-League. The change happened when HAGL lost its best generation of players, had to buy foreign players with limited funds and manage with self-trained players.

The player base under coach Le Quang Trai and technical director Vu Tien Thanh is basically no different from the last period of coach Kiatisak's time, even... weaker. Why does HAGL have a new face with old wine?

The answer lies in the way the team is built. HAGL has changed 6 coaches in 8 years (2 foreign coaches, 4 domestic coaches), each strategist has a unique style and vision. Rejuvenation without a clear strategy and coaching orientation has caused HAGL to "cut a plow in the middle of the road". However, HAGL is now different, thanks to restructuring both the playing style and collective philosophy.

The mountain town football team is different

Mr. Vu Tien Thanh's team has only conceded 2 goals in the last 5 matches (3 clean sheets) thanks to a well-protected defense. The zonal defense, with players assigned to specific positions, moving rhythmically to cover from the flanks to the center, makes HAGL a team that is not easy to penetrate.

Next, HAGL improved their fighting spirit. The players played with more enthusiasm and tightness. Although most of Coach Le Quang Trai's players were small and thin, the team from the mountain town was not afraid to fight one-on-one, actively chasing the ball to regain control. The energy of "peppercorns" like Ngoc Quang, Quang Nho or Minh Vuong is proof.

The mountain town team is ready to run more. At the beginning of last season, the average HAGL player (excluding the goalkeeper) only ran about 7.5 km/match. The current figure is 9.7 km/match, in which in the match against Thanh Hoa , the GPS device recorded 6 HAGL players running over 11 km/match. Changes in physical training have turned HAGL into a team full of ambition and not easily accepting defeat.

In the last 24 matches, Minh Vuong and his teammates have only lost 5 matches. With 20.8%, this is the lowest loss rate of the mountain town team in the past 10 seasons (only counting full seasons), since the 1st and 2nd youth batches of HAGL JMG Academy were promoted to V-League.

Scientific training

HAGL has also transformed thanks to the application of sports science in training. Coach Le Quang Trai's team analyzes training efficiency (distance traveled, quality of handling) to choose the right position for each player, and studies and deciphers the opponent's playing style using software. Changes are quietly taking place at Ham Rong, and the performance on the field is the tip of the iceberg, the roots that have been consolidated over the past months.

HAGL has found the way

Among the teams in the top 5 of V-League, HAGL is a rare team (along with Hanoi) that can train its own players for the first team. Living well with a generation of "homegrown" players has never been simple. When many teams spend tens of hundreds of billions of dong to recruit stars, it is admirable that a team can show its personality through its young players.

However, "Rome was not built in a day". Although undefeated, HAGL's goal this season is still to accumulate points to stay in the league, then... think about it. HAGL's squad is inexperienced and is in the process of rebuilding, so it is difficult to dream of a high position. Exactly 20 years after the last V-League championship, HAGL has changed, no longer a skilled warhorse in the race for glory.

However, every team has its time. The important thing is that HAGL is no longer "playing blind chess" with confusing moves. The Pleiku team has opened a new path, so let's keep moving forward!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khi-hagl-cua-bau-duc-tro-thanh-doi-bong-sat-da-185241029211256509.htm