Hai Phong Club and Dinh Trieu explode, HAGL is about to have to compete for relegation

Hai Phong Club wins again, HAGL in danger

The 2-1 victory at Quang Nam Stadium on the evening of February 28 opened a turning point in the season for Hai Phong FC. Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem and his team defeated their main rivals in the relegation race to gain 18 points after 15 rounds, temporarily occupying 8th place on the rankings. Meanwhile, HAGL was pushed down to 9th place.

The feeling of falling has haunted HAGL for the past 3 months, when the representative of the mountain town has gone through a series of poor matches (winning only 2 out of the last 12 matches). With 17 points, it cannot be said that HAGL is safe, in the context that the opponents in the lower group all have the potential to explode in form.

Dinh Trieu and Hai Phong Club have climbed to the middle of the table.

Hai Phong FC is an example. Last month, Dinh Trieu and his teammates were ranked 13th with only 9 points after 10 matches. However, Hai Phong only needed 4 recent matches to gain 9 more points, with what they have achieved since the beginning of the tournament, to jump to the middle of the table.

That shows that the gap in skill level and points between teams in the bottom half of the rankings is not significant. Just by "getting into form", a team can jump from the danger zone to the middle group. On the contrary, if their form declines, a middle group team (like HAGL) is at risk of being pulled down immediately.

That is the difficult problem that HAGL has to face. While Hai Phong, SLNA and Da Nang are all playing better, the team of technical director Vu Tien Thanh has not found the "light". HAGL's consecutive draws and losses in the past 3 months have come from a familiar scenario: loose defense, uncreative attacks, and dependence on foreign players like Marciel dos Santos or Washington Brandao.

The youthfulness of new faces like Trung Kien, Ly Duc, Gia Bao only helped HAGL break through in the first 5 matches. At this time, the opponents have already learned the playing style of the mountain town team. Pleiku Stadium is no longer a "peaceful place" for HAGL, when Minh Vuong and his teammates have only won 1 out of the last 6 matches.

HAGL (orange shirt) has not regained its form

Remember, facing experienced relegation opponents like SLNA, Hai Phong, Quang Nam or Da Nang, HAGL needs to wake up before it's too late.

Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh meets 'old friend'

Ho Chi Minh City FC will face HAGL at 7:15 p.m. on March 2, in a match in round 15 of the V-League where both teams are desperate for points. If they continue to draw or lose, Mr. Vu Tien Thanh's old and new teams are at risk of being dragged into a fierce battle for survival.

Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh coached Ho Chi Minh City FC for 3 seasons. He helped the "Red Battleship" spectacularly stay in the V-League 2022, despite taking the job when the team was second to last. Ho Chi Minh City FC then escaped in the final round of V-League 2023. In the 2023 - 2024 season, Mr. Vu Tien Thanh left the team at the beginning of the season, despite Ho Chi Minh City FC's relatively stable performance.

Moving to HAGL, Mr. Vu Tien Thanh continued to play the role of "welder". He took the head coach position when HAGL was at the bottom of the table with 2 points after 7 matches, then brought the mountain town team to a safe finish in the final round. This season, Mr. Thanh handed over the head coach position to assistant Le Quang Trai. He himself took the position of Technical Director, managing both the team and the HAGL Academy.

HAGL started the 2024 - 2025 V-League impressively with 5 unbeaten matches (2 wins, 3 draws), but then gradually declined. Mr. Vu Tien Thanh's team only won 11 out of a maximum 36 points in the last 12 matches. HAGL is also at risk of losing Minh Vuong to PVF-CAND, after saying goodbye to Quoc Viet and Thanh Binh (both in the first division playing for Ninh Binh Club).

HAGL may part ways with Minh Vuong

Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh's return to Thong Nhat Stadium will not be "easy". If they fail, HAGL will be pushed down to 10th place by Ho Chi Minh City Club. Mr. Thanh's team needs at least 1 point to avoid sinking further.

However, since coaching HAGL, Mr. Vu Tien Thanh has never had good results against Ho Chi Minh City Club. Last season, HAGL lost 1-4 at Thong Nhat Stadium. In the first leg this season at Pleiku Stadium, HAGL led by 2 goals, but in the end, Ho Chi Minh City held them to a 2-2 draw.

HAGL needs a boost to escape the increasingly close relegation race, but with their current form, Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh's students must try harder!

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-hai-phong-va-dinh-trieu-bung-no-hagl-sap-phai-dua-tru-hang-185250228133732022.htm