The vicious cycle of changing 'generals' of V-League teams

The story of 'losing army, beheading general' in V-League

On the morning of February 1 (the 4th day of Tet), Da Nang Club appointed Mr. Le Duc Tuan as head coach. Although the V-League has not passed the halfway point, the Han River team has changed "general" 3 times.

At the beginning of the season, Da Nang Club was led by coach Dao Quang Hung and technical director (GDKT) Truong Viet Hoang. After 3 months of poor results, both Mr. Dao Quang Hung and his colleague Truong Viet Hoang left, making way for the new duo: Cristiano Roland and Phan Thanh Hung.

Vòng thay — Coach Cristiano Roland ends his short journey at Da Nang Club

However, the way Da Nang team used their players created a sense of confusion. In the matches against SLNA and Hai Phong, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung was registered as the head coach (so it was understood that Mr. Roland was the technical director). But in the match against Ho Chi Minh City Club, the head coach was Mr. Roland. Then, the former coach of U.17 Vietnam only worked 1 match and then left, giving the hot seat to Mr. Le Duc Tuan.

That means in just 2 months, the head coach position at Da Nang Club has had 4 people sitting. Despite changing "generals" so much, Da Nang team still has not known how to win. Only 4 points after 11 matches and the bottom position is an unacceptable achievement for the team that used to dominate the V-League (champion in 2009 and 2012).

The latest person to jump on the Da Nang FC "ship" is Coach Le Duc Tuan, who is actually also inexperienced. Mr. Tuan used to coach Hanoi youth, was promoted to assistant and then head coach of Hanoi FC. Despite his rapid promotion in just 3 years, Coach Le Duc Tuan has very little practical experience in the V-League.

During Mr. Tuan's short tenure, the Hanoi team was unexpectedly eliminated from the National Cup by Dong Thap, and lost to HAGL at home for the first time in 12 years. Of course, it is impossible to put all the responsibility on Mr. Le Duc Tuan. But with extremely limited training capital, it is not easy for the young "general" to revive the current exhausted and lifeless team at Hoa Xuan Stadium.

In the 2023 season, when facing relegation, Da Nang also asked for help from a young coach of Hanoi FC, Coach Pham Minh Duc. However, Mr. Duc could not save the Han River team. As for Hanoi FC, after parting ways with Mr. Le Duc Tuan, the team appointed Mr. Hoang Van Phuc. The former Quang Nam coach had been in the interim position for 2 matches at Hanoi FC in 2021 without leaving any professional mark.

vicious circle

The V-League's coach rotation can easily create a sense of circularity, as coaches keep switching back and forth between familiar teams. There are indeed cases of "changing generals and changing fortunes" in some teams, but the changes are usually very short-lived.

For example, SLNA managed to stay in the league last season after appointing Mr. Pham Anh Tuan as head coach to replace Phan Nhu Thuat. And this season, when Mr. Tuan "lost his magic", Phan Nhu Thuat returned to the coaching chair. Going around and around, then returning to the same choice at the beginning.

Vietnamese football has had players go abroad, but there has never been a story of... a coach going abroad. Vietnamese strategists only coach within the country, when one retires, another replaces.

Up to now, the number of Vietnamese coaches with a Pro license can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Many coaches rely mainly on experience, but when they step into the international arena, they have to step back to the Technical Director position to make room for someone with a degree to take the position of Head Coach (to meet AFC requirements).

There have been teams that have used foreign coaches and succeeded, such as Thanh Hoa Club with coach Velizar Popov (winning 3 cups in 2 years), or previously the Thanh team also had a successful 2017 season with "godfather" Ljupko Petrovic. However, most foreign coaches in the V-League left "without fanfare", with the reason shared by an expert with Thanh Nien Newspaper that they did not understand the football culture in the V-League.

What that culture is, only insiders can understand. However, when players, even though they have become famous in the V-League, when they are called up to the national team, still have to... relearn very basic tactical skills such as opening their bodies to receive the ball, moving in sync or throwing the ball, perhaps the training at some V-League teams should be questioned.

The vicious cycle of changing coaches of many teams or the unclear roles between the technical director and head coach has revealed part of the answer.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vong-thay-tuong-luan-quan-cua-cac-doi-v-league-185250201122113085.htm