The chase by Hanoi Police
The V-League 2023-2024 will conclude its first half with 5 rounds after the Lunar New Year holiday, from February 17th to March 9th, before taking a break to allow the Vietnamese national team to focus on two crucial matches in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia.
The five rounds (from round 9 to round 13), spanning 22 days (an average of more than 4 days per match), will be a marathon battle requiring teams to carefully consider both physical fitness and team conservation – extremely challenging tasks. A misjudgment of the opponent's changes over the past month, or a lapse in concentration leading to poor results, could have serious negative consequences.
Will Bui Hoang Viet Anh (who is competing with Tien Linh) and Hanoi Police team bounce back in the last 5 rounds of the first half of the season?
The current V-League standings after 8 rounds are as follows: 1/ Nam Dinh (19 points), 2/ Binh Dinh (16 points), 3/ Becamex Binh Duong (16 points), 4/ Thanh Hoa (15 points), 5/ Hanoi Police (12 points), 6/ Ho Chi Minh City (12 points), 7/ Hai Phong (11 points), 8/ Hanoi (10 points), 9/ Quang Nam (9 points), 10/ SLNA (9 points), 11/ The Cong Viettel (8 points), 12/ Hong Linh Ha Tinh (6 points), 13/ Khanh Hoa (6 points), 14/ LPBank HAGL (5 points).
With this polarization, it's clear that the competition for the first-half championship is concentrated among the leading group, from Nam Dinh to Hanoi Police, while the rest will find it very difficult to contest the top spot after round 13.
Aside from the top four teams with significant point differences from the chasing pack, the title race for the first half of the season is unquestionable. Some might question why Hanoi Police and Ho Chi Minh City are tied on points, with the capital city team only one point ahead of Hai Phong and two points ahead of Hanoi, yet are considered potential threats to the top four, while other rivals are not?
Sam Ngoc Duc (77) of Ho Chi Minh City team competes for the ball with Nguyen Thai Son of Thanh Hoa.
Expert Doan Minh Xuong analyzed: "Theoretically, it's true that teams like Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, and Hanoi should all be considered, but in the next five rounds, most of these teams will be competing against each other, while some strong teams in the top four will have the advantage of facing weaker opponents. Therefore, even if they win a few matches, the point difference may not be closed. It's therefore very difficult for them to overtake and claim the top spot. Meanwhile, the reigning champion, Hanoi Police, still has considerable potential, with many stars and key players who are very capable and can create breakthroughs. In four out of the next five matches, the Police team will only face Thanh Hoa, a formidable opponent, so they still have enough strength to regain their former power, as they did with their resounding 3-0 victory against Binh Duong. Therefore, the team led by Kiatisak can still be in the group competing for the top spot in the first half of the season."
Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa face tough opponents, while Binh Duong and Binh Dinh have an easier time.
In the next five rounds, Nam Dinh will face Hai Phong, Binh Dinh, SLNA (all away), Hanoi, and Thanh Hoa (at home). Four of these five opponents will be very difficult for Coach Vu Hong Viet's team. Nam Dinh's rise to the top after eight rounds is not only due to their strength and progress but also to a fortunate schedule, with the first few rounds featuring weaker opponents. However, when they face Hanoi Police and Binh Duong, the team from Nam Dinh will face many challenges. Therefore, in the next five rounds, with the four most difficult matches against Hai Phong, Binh Dinh, and Hanoi, it will not be easy for Nam Dinh to defend their top spot.
Will Van Toan help Nam Dinh maintain their lead at the start of the first half of the season?
Similarly, Thanh Hoa's next five matches will be very tough, facing Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hanoi Police, HAGL, and Nam Dinh, making it difficult for Coach Popov's team to earn points. In the early stages of the first half of the season, Thanh Hoa had several good performances, such as a win against Binh Dinh at Quy Nhon Stadium, but also some unconvincing ones, like the loss against Binh Duong or the home draws against Ha Tinh and Ho Chi Minh City. This inconsistency means that when facing tough opponents, there's no guarantee the Thanh Hoa team will be able to bounce back.
With Dinh Trong (left) back, Binh Dinh's defense is stronger.
Meanwhile, the remaining five matches for both Binh Dinh and Binh Duong are quite favorable. Binh Dinh only has a tough match against Nam Dinh, but the other four home games against SLNA, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Nam, and Khanh Hoa allow them to accumulate points effectively. Under coach Bui Doan Quang Huy, Binh Dinh has shown surprising progress, especially with resounding away victories against Hanoi (1-0), Ha Tinh (4-0), and Hai Phong (1-0), and a big win against The Cong Viettel 4-1 at home. If they maintain this form, Binh Dinh is a team with the full potential to threaten Nam Dinh's top spot in the league.
Vo Minh Trong (right) is improving with Binh Duong and competing with Quang Hai.
It would be remiss not to mention Binh Duong. Although they stumbled in two matches against the two capital city teams, Hanoi and Hanoi Police, the team led by coach Le Huynh Duc has had many good games and is currently the only team to have defeated all three top teams in the V-League: Nam Dinh, Binh Dinh, and Thanh Hoa.
This team's upcoming schedule is also very favorable, facing many lower-ranked teams such as Quang Nam, The Cong Viettel, Ha Tinh, and SLNA. Their only opponent is Ho Chi Minh City, a top-ranked team, at Thong Nhat Stadium, but even that is a team Binh Duong has no fear of. Therefore, like Binh Dinh, if they perform well, Tien Linh, Que Ngoc Hai, Hai Huy, and their teammates have enough strength to dethrone Nam Dinh and claim the top spot in the first half of the season.
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