Becamex Binh Duong and Da Nang, two former powers of Vietnamese football

Three head coaches after 7 rounds

Since joining the V-League, Becamex Binh Duong has never played as badly as this season. The team started off well after two draws against Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Hai Phong (runner-up of the 2022 season). But things gradually got worse when the Thu Dau Mot team lost to Binh Dinh, lost to Ho Chi Minh City right at Go Dau home field, forcing coach Lu Dinh Tuan to leave the team after only 4 rounds. Things did not get any better when coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan took over the team, because in the next 3 matches in the 2023 V-League, Becamex Binh Duong drew with Song Lam Nghe An, before losing to Cong An Ha Noi and Hong Linh Ha Tinh.

Although Becamex Binh Duong's attack has domestic and foreign strikers who are considered the best in the V-League such as Tien Linh, the "Top scorer" of the V-League 2022, Rimario (with 17 goals), the coordination of this duo is not good, because both are used to playing the highest position in the attack. In some matches, Tien Linh accepted to drop low, playing as an attacking midfielder or playing on the wing but was not effective. Meanwhile, in the last 3 matches, Rimario "disappeared" on the field, causing Becamex Binh Duong to play as if they were receiving the attack.

Too disappointed, the Becamex Binh Duong leadership was forced to change the head coach for the second time when the season had not yet gone 1/3 of the way. Veteran coach Le Huynh Duc was invited to rescue the team at Go Dau Stadium. Immediately, strategist Le Huynh Duc called back former assistant Nguyen Thanh Son. Coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan and assistant Huynh Kesley were sent down to lead the youth team.

No flour, no glue

Meanwhile, Da Nang is also a team that brings great disappointment. Entering this year's season, no one thought that Becamex Binh Duong, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City would soon have to fight to escape relegation. There are two reasons why Da Nang is stuck at the bottom of the V-League 2023 rankings: the defense is playing loosely and the foreign players are too bad. In round 7 on the evening of April 16, foreign player Nicholas Olsen (Australian) missed many good opportunities, including a missed penalty kick, causing the home team to lose 0-1 to Khanh Hoa. Although expected to struggle to stay in the league, rookie Khanh Hoa currently has 9 points, temporarily ranked 7th on the rankings. Da Nang head coach Phan Thanh Hung has long been famous for his military talent, but "Without flour, you can make glue". Da Nang's army this season is both weak and immature, so it is difficult to implement the head coach's tactics. In the past 7 matches, Da Nang players mainly shot from long distance because they had few opportunities to approach the opponent's goal. If they could get the ball into the opponent's penalty area, foreign players (like Nicholas Olsen) unfortunately missed it.

It is hard to believe that two teams with tradition and strength like Becamex Binh Duong and Da Nang are stuck at the bottom of the rankings. V-League 2023 does not have a double round-robin to determine the champion. The teams will play a single round-robin to determine the points in the first stage. After that, the 6 teams at the top will compete for the championship in the second stage; the 8 teams at the bottom will compete for relegation. When playing in the second stage, the points earned by the teams in the first stage will remain the same. Therefore, if they do not improve their performance and points soon, it will be extremely difficult for the Thu Dau Mot team and the team on the banks of the Han River in the relegation race.

In round 8 of V-League 2023, it will be a difficult challenge for Becamex Binh Duong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City when they have to compete with Khanh Hoa, Hanoi FC and Hanoi Police. The stands at Hoa Xuan Stadium (Da Nang) and Go Dau in the past rounds no longer have as many cheers as before. Instead, there are sad sighs.

NGUYEN THUAN

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