Nam Dinh Club misses Xuan Son very much
Many people have predicted difficulties for Nam Dinh FC when Nguyen Xuan Son was injured and had to take a long-term break. The absence of the main striker who scored 38 goals in the last 31 matches in V-League is obviously a challenge for any team.
However, the decline of the reigning V-League champions is still surprising. Nam Dinh FC has not won in the last 4 matches (2 draws, 2 losses), scoring only 2 goals.
Nam Dinh Club (white shirt) is on the decline
When Xuan Son was still there, Nam Dinh FC's strikers scored 15 goals in 5 matches in the V-League (3 goals/match), and 10 goals in 5 matches in the AFC Champions League 2 (2 goals/match). Without Xuan Son, the Thien Truong team only scored 1 goal in the last 3 matches in the V-League (average 0.33 goals/match). That is, Nam Dinh FC's "shooting" efficiency decreased nearly 10 times. Not to mention, coach Vu Hong Viet and his team were also eliminated from the National Cup by Binh Duong FC.
The absence of Hendrio Araujo or Van Toan can still be filled, but with Xuan Son, it is different. Without an all-round and brave striker, the wing attacks and quick counter-attacks that are the strengths of the reigning champion Nam Dinh have become simple and easy for opponents to predict. The team from Thanh Nam still holds the ball more, attacks the ball continuously, but the efficiency has decreased significantly.
Because in the hands of coach Vu Hong Viet at the moment, only Joseph Mpande is a possible face for the striker position. In reality, Mpande is used to the role of "firefighter". He used to play as a center back, midfielder and striker at Hai Phong Club. Thanks to his versatility, Mpande is the solution for coaches to fill any gap that appears. But because of that, the Ugandan player does not have time to shape his class with a specific position. 1 goal in the last 5 matches is not a reliable enough parameter for Mpande, forcing Nam Dinh Club to add a striker.
Brenner Marlos de Oliveira, a 30-year-old Brazilian striker, has been selected. Brenner has played for many Brazilian teams in Serie A (the highest division) such as Botafogo, Avai, Internacional and Goias. 73 goals in 236 matches, mainly in Brazil, are the parameters that prove the quality of the new player of Nam Dinh Club.
Brenner is additionally registered.
However, the problem of Brenner, or any other foreign player, is the ability to integrate with the home team and the playing environment in the V-League. Very few foreign players explode right after arriving. For example, Xuan Son in the first 3 years in the V-League did not have a season where he scored more than 6 goals. Therefore, instead of expecting a "savior" to carry the team to replace Xuan Son, Nam Dinh Club needs more collective strength.
Hanoi FC has parted ways with coach Le Duc Tuan to appoint Mr. Hoang Van Phuc as acting head coach. The quick decision after the meeting on the 28th of Tet shows that the capital team cannot wait any longer.
Hanoi FC is on a downward slide with only 2 wins in the last 9 matches. The humiliating defeat against Dong Thap in the National Cup or against HAGL in the V-League has shown the relatively incomprehensible lackluster face of the Hanoi team. The same national players who shined at the AFF Cup 2024, but when returning to the club, they become disjointed pieces.
Hanoi FC is struggling because the foreign players are... bad, and the domestic players are not any better. Vu Dinh Hai's red card in the match against HAGL summed up the immaturity of the young talents lacking experience, while the senior generation like Van Quyet and Hung Dung are far from their peak.
Hanoi FC has not been able to stop the decline that has been brewing since 2023. Unlike Nam Dinh FC, which only has problems with the attack, the former champion Hanoi has shaken the entire system. The recovery is difficult to return with just one decision to change the head coach (Mr. Hoang Van Phuc was once the interim coach of Hanoi FC and did not leave an impression). Nam Dinh FC has weakened, but whether the visiting team Hanoi is strong enough to defeat the opponent at Thien Truong Stadium at 6 p.m. on February 5 is a very different story.
No team wants to lose on the first day of spring. Therefore, putting all their resources into a good match is a necessary condition for both the current and former champions. The winning team will have the psychological momentum to come back, while the losing team will find it difficult to escape the crisis that is looming before their eyes.
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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuan-son-vang-mat-ai-giup-clb-nam-dinh-thang-doi-ha-noi-trong-ngay-dau-nam-185250204185718261.htm
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