Nam Dinh Club has a headache without Xuan Son

Warning in the National Cup

Striker Nguyen Xuan Son will be out of action for at least 8 months to recover from the injury he suffered in the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final. At the earliest, Xuan Son will return in September, meaning the 2024-2025 season has ended for this striker.

Nam Dinh Club is really missing Xuan Son

Last season, Xuan Son scored 31 goals in 26 matches in the V-League, including many goals in important matches to pull the "ship" Nam Dinh to the throne. Many fans were overwhelmed by what he did with the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024, but those who love Nam Dinh were not, because in the shirt of the team from Thanh Nam, people have seen him carry the team like that. The Brazilian striker is the highest-class player ever to appear in the V-League, with great influence: both scoring goals and connecting the play, becoming a bridge to operate the attack, helping Nam Dinh Club have many solutions to attack. He combined with Hendrio Araujo to create a duo that scored a total of 41 goals for Nam Dinh last season.

Xuan Son learns to walk

Xuan Son's successful naturalization also helped Nam Dinh FC benefit. Coach Vu Hong Viet's team has an extra foreign player slot to supplement its squad. At the beginning of this season, when Xuan Son "failed to score", Nam Dinh FC also had a goal drought in the V-League. However, when the Brazilian striker returned with 7 goals in the last 7 matches, the team from Thanh Nam also rose again, winning 6 out of 7 matches to climb to second place in the V-League, entering the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League.

That said, Xuan Son's injury is a big loss for Nam Dinh FC. In the National Cup match on January 9, the Nam Dinh team without Xuan Son was defeated by Binh Duong FC right at home. Coach Vu Hong Viet arranged for Joseph Mpande to play as a striker instead of Xuan Son. The Ugandan striker has the ability to sweep and kick powerfully. However, Mpande lacked the ability to connect on the attack. He was lost, coordinated poorly with the midfielders and was surrounded by Binh Duong's defense. Mpande ended a day to forget when he missed the decisive penalty kick, causing Nam Dinh to lose their dream in the National Cup.

It is hard to blame Mpande, because since playing for Hai Phong Club, this player has not been able to play in any fixed position. He has played as a center back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder and even striker. This season, he has only scored 4 goals in 11 matches, including only 2 goals in V-League. His performance is not good enough to help Nam Dinh fans forget about Xuan Son.

What is coach Vu Hong Viet planning?

Coach Vu Hong Viet is facing a headache in the attack when Xuan Son, Hendrio and Van Toan are all absent. For a team that "uses offense to make up for defense" like Nam Dinh, if they cannot maintain their attacking power, disaster can strike.

However, Nam Dinh FC still has a solution. Unlike Xuan Son who is suffering from a long-term injury, Van Toan and Hendrio will soon return to improve the quality of the attack. The Lunar New Year break is a golden opportunity for coach Vu Hong Viet to recalculate the force and playing style, in order to make the best use of the current personnel.

In addition, to serve the AFC Champions League, Nam Dinh Club has registered 7 foreign players, of which Lucas Silva can play well in the attack. Combined with Mpande, Van Toan, Hendrio, Minh Tuan or Van Dat, Nam Dinh team still has the strongest attack in V-League. This raw material is enough for Nam Dinh Club to rotate. It is important to remember that this season, teams without good potential but skillful in using people such as Thanh Hoa, HAGL, Ha Tinh are all reaping good results. The important thing is still the ability to calculate the personnel of the "captain".

In the next 5 matches, Nam Dinh FC will face a difficult schedule with Thanh Hoa, The Cong Viettel, Binh Dinh, Hanoi in V-League and Sanfrecce Hiroshima in AFC Champions League. The absence of Xuan Son will significantly reduce their strength, but this is an opportunity for the team at Thien Truong Stadium to prove that they do not depend on any player.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-nam-dinh-dau-dau-khi-vang-xuan-son-185250112223344627.htm