If HAGL doesn't win this match, don't think about staying in V-League!

HAGL has a golden opportunity to win their first 3 points in V-League, when hosting SLNA at home in Pleiku (5:00 p.m. on October 3).

Turning point for HAGL

The 0-0 draw at PVF-CAND Stadium caused HAGL to extend their streak of draws and losses in the V-League to 4 matches. The mountain town team is second to last (13th) after 4 rounds, earning only 2 points. Although not yet at the bottom of the table, at this time, only HAGL is the team that has not known the "taste" of a goal.

Coach Le Quang Trai and his team lost 0-3 to Becamex TP.HCM and 0-1 to Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, and drew 0-0 with Hanoi and PVF-CAND.

HAGL (yellow shirt) is a young team.

PHOTO: HAGL Club

In the last 3 matches alone, HAGL only conceded 1 goal, but did not win, because the mountain town team did not score any goals. Good defense brings 1 point, but must score to get 3 points.

HAGL’s initial difficulties in the V-League this season come partly from the difficult match schedule. In 3 out of the last 4 matches, the mountain town team had to play away, and 2 of them were against tough opponents such as Ho Chi Minh City Police Club or Hanoi Club.

Away form has never been HAGL’s strong point. Last season, Le Quang Trai’s team only got 8 points away from home. The points accumulated in Pleiku (21 points) were the capital that helped Mr. Duc’s team stay in the league.

In round 6, HAGL will return to Pleiku to meet their most suitable opponent: SLNA.

Along with Becamex TP.HCM and Thanh Hoa, only SLNA is the team that can compare to HAGL in terms of the level of... crisis. The Nghe An team only won 4 points (won 1, drew 1, lost 3) after the first 5 rounds. The peak of disappointment was the weak defeat against the HCM City Police Club, or the 1-1 draw against Ha Tinh despite having one more player for almost the entire match.

SLNA is still the same as previous seasons, lacking stability in playing style, lacking ideas and waiting for personal inspiration. Like HAGL, SLNA is unlikely to play better due to "brain drain". Key players like Dinh Xuan Tien and Nguyen Van Viet have followed their seniors to leave Vinh Stadium, while youngsters like Tran Nam Hai and Cao Van Binh cannot yet fill the void.

This is the first time this season that HAGL has met an opponent of equal strength. With the home field advantage in Pleiku, coach Le Quang Trai’s team must take 3 points.

HAGL needs a boost to rise

PHOTO: HAGL Club

If they don't win this match, HAGL will easily get bogged down. In the next 3 matches, Phan Du Hoc and his teammates will have to face Hai Phong (away) and The Cong Viettel, Nam Dinh (home). The stormy schedule can sink the "ship" HAGL, if the players don't know how to cherish the previous must-win matches.

Who saved HAGL Club?

As mentioned, HAGL's problem under coach Le Quang Trai and technical director Vu Tien Thanh has never been the defense.

When he first arrived at Pleiku in the middle of the 2023-2024 season, Mr. Vu Tien Thanh retrained HAGL's physical strength and defensive tactics. The mountain town team was unbeaten in 9 consecutive matches (7 clean sheets), thanks to the tactics of marking, closely following and being more aggressive. Mr. Vu Tien Thanh affirmed that the players must not stand still when losing the ball, but must run to regain control, and must play with a high spirit of determination.

That was also the period when HAGL changed its philosophy, becoming more rigid and strict. The dream of beautiful football was shattered after 8/10 seasons of having to worry about relegation. However, change was necessary for HAGL to survive in V-League.

HAGL (blue shirt) needs to change

PHOTO: MINH TU

However, defense can be adjusted by tactics, but attack requires people. The faces that carried HAGL's attack last season such as Tran Minh Vuong and Chau Ngoc Quang have all left. 8/10 midfielders and strikers that coach Le Quang Trai has at the moment were born in 2001 or later, including young players such as Moi Se (2005), Tran Gia Bao (2008), Tran Gia Huy, Cao Hoang Minh (2003)...

Foreign players like Marciel da Silva and Gabriel Conceicao are also average. HAGL does not have enough potential to "compete for power" like the strong teams, so they can only rely on the maturity of young players, along with the strategic talent of the duo Coach Le Quang Trai and Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh.

With the experience of helping teams reach the finish line safely in V-League over the past many years, Mr. Thanh clearly understands: HAGL must beat SLNA, there is no other choice.

At the edge of the wall, will the mountain town team break out?

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khong-thang-tran-nay-hagl-dung-nghi-chuyen-tru-hang-v-league-185251001102417454.htm