Forget U23 Vietnam, this is V.League

Coach Gong Oh-kyun received a lot of expectations when signing a contract with Hanoi Police Club. During his short time working with U23 Vietnam, this coach brought many special values to the team. This is the reason why the reigning V.League champion is interested in Coach Gong Oh-kyun.

From expectation to anxiety

It must be recognized that Coach Gong Oh-kyun deserves the fans' expectations. Hanoi Police Club has everything a team in V.League wants. They have the best financial potential and personnel in the tournament, not to mention the behind-the-scenes factors.

What the reigning V.League champions lack is a good coach. Last season, Paulo Foiani, Flavio Cruz and even Mr. Tran Tien Dai could not be considered "job-ready" coaches. Hanoi Police Club may have won the championship but in reality, their playing style lacked cohesion. At decisive moments, the stars shone and helped the team win. But that victory was not the result of collective play.

Coach Gong Oh-kyun turned a team without many stars of U23 Vietnam into an exciting team in the 2022 AFC U23 Championship finals. The achievement of reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament is not as important as the way U23 Vietnam plays on the field.

That performance was even in contrast to the "sleeping" performance of U23 Vietnam at SEA Games 31 at home more than a month earlier. In short, when Mr. Gong left the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), there were regrets when this strategist did not reach an agreement to extend his contract.

When coach Gong Oh-kyun returns with the best working conditions, everyone has the right to expect a Hanoi Police Club that plays to its full potential.

However, after the victory over HAGL in the National Cup and some positive signs, Hanoi Police Club fell into a state of instability. They lost to Hai Phong , drew with Nam Dinh and Quang Nam. Coach Gong Oh-kyun has yet to taste victory in the V.League. Concerns about whether Mr. Gong can change Hanoi Police Club or not have re-emerged.

Objective difficulties

" The head coach position in the national team and the club is not much different. We still follow the set roadmap. The head coach's task is always very difficult, but I am trying to improve myself every day, " Mr. Gong Oh-kyun shared after the draw with Quang Nam Club.

In terms of duties, the coach for a national team or a club has the same goal of developing the team and bringing victory. But the environment and challenges in the job are certainly different. U23 Vietnam is a young team, participating in a youth tournament - where there is always room for surprises and... instability. U23 Vietnam has always left its mark in such tournaments.

V.League brings many challenges to coach Gong Oh-kyun.

But V.League is a completely different story. In each specific match, opponents always know how to cut off the weak connection between the Hanoi Police Club's lines. Even foreign players are always ready to change the game even though they are not necessarily the brightest stars. That is what Lucao (Hai Phong), Rimario, Antonio (Thanh Hoa) did when facing Hanoi Police Club.

In addition, this is not the time when the stars of the Hanoi Police Club are in good form, especially the position of Nguyen Quang Hai. The midfielder born in 1997 has played more freely, but the efficiency is not high. In some specific situations, the quality and standard in each ball handling phase of Nguyen Quang Hai has significantly decreased compared to himself 2 years ago.

Some other names of Hanoi Police Club also showed signs of declining performance. In such circumstances, it is not easy for Mr. Gong to bring miracles from his brain and tactical sandbox.

Many people mentioned the behavior of coach Gong Oh-kyun losing his temper in the match against Nam Dinh. But this is not as important as the biggest difficulty for this coach, which is the expertise and achievements of the team.

Mai Phuong

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