Can HAGL extend the happy days?

Difficulties surround HAGL

Although Thanh Hoa took the top spot, it is undeniable that HAGL is having the best start in V-League history.

With 8 points, 7 goals and only 1 loss after 4 matches, the team of coach Le Quang Trai and technical director Vu Tien Thanh demonstrated an effective defensive counter-attacking style of play, making the most of the abilities of young players such as Nguyen Quoc Viet, Tran Trung Kien, Pham Ly Duc, long-time pillars such as Tran Minh Vuong, Chau Ngoc Quang, or foreign players whose brightest star is Marctel da Silva.

HAGL is flying high

Besides reasonable tactics and "knowing yourself and your opponent", HAGL also upgraded its defense and fighting ability since Mr. Vu Tien Thanh took the hot seat.

Chau Ngoc Quang affirmed: "HAGL players are instructed to play with more effort and determination. We are improving every day". No longer naive, HAGL now plays tightly and disciplined, ready to defend "ironically" to get points. Pragmatism is a necessary catalyst for the Pleiku home team, if they want to stand firm in a harsh playground like V-League.

However, it will not be easy for HAGL to continue their flying days in the V-League, as many factors are against coach Le Quang Trai and his team.

After the mountain town team had a smooth start in the first 4 rounds, the V-League entered a break lasting nearly 1 month. Some coaches in the V-League, including Mr. Velizar Popov, have affirmed that the V-League being interrupted many times will cause players to lose excitement, not maintain a stable playing rhythm and have difficulty getting back into the rhythm.

This is a common difficulty of V-League. However, with a young team, very thin force and mainly sublimated by high excitement like HAGL, the risk of declining performance after "losing" the rhythm of the game needs to be anticipated.

In the 2023 season, Mr. Popov's Thanh Hoa Club started very well, but when the V-League was "chopped" by continuous breaks, the Thanh team gradually weakened, eventually finishing fourth.

It is not easy to maintain good form with HAGL's current squad.

To maintain form in a long-distance tournament like V-League, teams need a strong force to support each other, in case the main players lose form. At the same time, physical training needs to be done very carefully. HAGL has trained better physical strength when Mr. Vu Tien Thanh changed the curriculum, applying data from the youth team to the first team. However, change cannot come overnight.

HAGL’s force was also eroded when young striker Nguyen Quoc Viet left the team, to be relegated to the first division to play for Ninh Binh. The striker had played 4 matches since the beginning of the tournament, and was gaining the trust of the coaching staff, but moved to a new team.

How is coach Le Quang Trai coping when HAGL has only scored 1 goal in the last 2 matches and is lacking ideas as foreign player Marciel is increasingly being "taken care of" by opponents?

Extremely heavy reagent

In the next 4 rounds, HAGL will face Thanh Hoa, Binh Duong, Hanoi Police (CAHN) and Ha Tinh. Every match is full of risks for Mr. Le Quang Trai and his team.

The match against Thanh Hoa at Pleiku Stadium in Round 5 (October 26) could be the first hurdle that the team from the mountain town must overcome. If they win, HAGL can regain their early-season momentum. However, if they lose, the first domino will fall, pushing Minh Vuong and his teammates into a state of mental decline.

HAGL needs unity to overcome difficulties

The match against Thanh Hoa is also a test of HAGL's mettle. Coach Popov's team does not have as many stars as Nam Dinh or CAHN. However, Thanh Hoa's scientific and physical style of play is a difficult problem for any team in the V-League.

After losing to Binh Duong on the opening day, Thanh Hoa defeated CAHN, Hai Phong and Binh Dinh clubs with reasonable tactics and impressive fighting spirit, thereby taking the top spot from HAGL.

To defeat Thanh Hoa, HAGL needs to make the best of what they have done since the beginning of the tournament. Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh's team has improved in terms of team organization. However, it is not certain that it is good enough to beat an unpredictable team like Thanh Hoa.

The next 4 matches will reveal HAGL's true ability.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-lieu-co-keo-dai-duoc-chuoi-ngay-vui-18524101614094211.htm