After winning the 2023-2024 National Cup, Thanh Hoa Club is one of two Vietnamese representatives (along with Nam Dinh Club) participating in the AFC Champions League Two next season. However, coach Velizar Popov's team recently sent a request to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for permission not to participate in the AFC Champions League Two and was approved.
In case Thanh Hoa team withdraws from the Asian Cup, Vietnamese football will not be able to send a replacement representative. Nam Dinh Club will be the only representative of V-League to participate in AFC Champions League Two.
Why is Thanh Hoa Club hesitant about the opportunity to play in AFC Champions League Two, the tournament that was formerly known as the AFC Cup?
Thanh Hoa Club leaves open the possibility of participating in AFC Champions League Two
There are two main reasons why Chairman Cao Tien Doan's team "hesitates" before the playground known as the Asian Cup C2. First is the competition schedule. If participating in the AFC Champions League Two next season, Thanh Hoa Club will become the first Vietnamese team in history to participate in 4 arenas in just one season (not counting the National Super Cup). Specifically, Mr. Popov and his team will compete in the V-League, National Cup, ASEAN Cup (Southeast Asian Club Championship) and AFC Champions League Two.
In previous seasons, Vietnamese teams participating in Asian tournaments would only participate in a maximum of 3 tournaments at the same time (V-League, National Cup, AFC Champions League or AFC Cup). Just competing in Asian tournaments made it difficult for teams to allocate their physical strength.
Take the case of Hanoi FC last season. The capital team played 6 matches in the AFC Champions League in the early stages of the V-League, resulting in a density of two matches per week. Due to continuous training, travel and competition, Hanoi players had almost no time to rest, leading to a decline in physical strength. Hanoi FC encountered problems in the first half of the season, only recovering in the second stage when they had a more "breathable" match schedule.
If participating in AFC Champions League Two, Thanh Hoa Club's match schedule will be even more intense than Hanoi's last season.
Depth of squad is a problem for the Thanh team.
Specifically, Coach Popov's students must play at least 6 matches in this tournament (the number of matches will be greater if they pass the group stage). In addition to 10 matches in the ASEAN Cup group stage, in addition to 26 matches in the V-League, and a maximum of 5 matches in the National Cup, Thanh Hoa Club may have to play from 47 to 50 matches in the 2024-2025 season, a number nearly double that of other teams in the V-League.
The problem for Vietnamese teams when "rolling around" in the Asian tournament is not simply fatigue from the competition, but also the travel, time zone changes and climate. The Thanh team will have at least 8 away matches in other Asian countries if they participate in both the AFC Champions League Two and the ASEAN Cup, a number equal to the number of Hanoi FC in the 2019 season.
Besides physical strength, another obstacle for Thanh Hoa FC if they play in AFC Champions League Two is cost. Thanh Hoa FC will play at Thanh Hoa Stadium in the ASEAN Cup, however, in the Asian tournament, Popov and his team may have to rent another stadium if Thanh Hoa Stadium does not meet AFC standards. In the 2018 season, Thanh Hoa FC rented My Dinh Stadium to play in the AFC Cup group stage (now AFC Champions League Two).
Coach Popov is good at managing with modest player resources
The cost of renting a stadium, traveling, and competing is a burden, causing many Vietnamese teams to hesitate. Previously, Hanoi FC (AFC Cup 2019 semi-finalist) and Binh Duong FC (AFC Cup 2009 semi-finalist) were the rare teams that were truly "bloodthirsty" in the Asian tournament.
For most V-League teams, cost, squad depth and physical strength are barriers to being able to give their all in tournaments like AFC Champions League Two.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-clb-thanh-hoa-ngai-da-cup-chau-a-18524072209174077.htm
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