HAGL shows signs of going downhill
HAGL reached the quarterfinals of the National Cup after winning against away team Binh Phuoc on penalties. However, besides the joy of winning tickets to the next round, the competition at Pleiku Stadium helped fans better realize HAGL’s true strength at this time.
Without 3 foreign soldiers on the field, HAGL could not overwhelm Binh Phuoc. Meaning, the quality of internal soldiers in the hands of coach Le Quang Trai and technical director Vu Tien Thanh is not much better than that of a first-class team.
This is the reality that not only HAGL, but many V-League representatives have to face. That is, the internal army force is only at a “sufficient” level. Success or failure depends on the training method, playing philosophy, or most importantly, the level of foreign soldiers.
HAGL lost 3 of the last 4 matches
HAGL had a great start in V-League 2024 – 2025 with 5 unbeaten matches, only receiving 2 goals lost. Throughout this period of time, Chau Ngoc Quang and his teammates dominated the top 3. HAGL’s unexpected rebound came from many factors: a tight and reasonable counter-attack defense strategy, good foreign soldiers (including Marciel da Silva and Jairo Rodrigues both integrated well) and took full advantage of the “high altitude” advantage of playing at home in Pleiku (HAGL has not lost a match at home this season).
However, HAGL gradually weakened when it no longer had the advantage. The playing style is studied and exploited by opponents, foreign players are caught, while HAGL’s away form (1 point in the last 4 matches) is too low, making the score at home not enough. offset.
With 3 losses in the last 4 matches, it is not difficult to say that HAGL is in decline. However, we need to look at the problem: the Mountain City football team actually did not regress, but just returned to its original position. A team that wants to climb consistently high in the V-League needs a solid foundation of play and quality internal players. HAGL lacks both of these conditions, so the series of matches at the beginning of the season is purely the time when Mr. Vu Tien Thanh and his team exceeded the threshold and played better than their ability.
When the surprise passes, the order is simply repeated. The duo Vu Tien Thanh and Le Quang Trai had too little time (just over 1 year) to train to create a total revolution.
HAGL (orange shirt) needs to carefully calculate its goals
HAGL needs to find resilience to once again break through. But, where to find resilience in such an average quality group is a difficult problem to solve.
Calculate goals
HAGL is ranked 7th, which is right in the middle of the rankings. This is a position that often makes teams confused about the goal, when the way up is not far, but the way down is also… very close.
Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh and his team are only 3 points behind the top 3, equal to a win. However, HAGL is only 7 points higher than the dangerous group. Although the number is large, it can be leveled after just a few rounds if HAGL cannot escape the losing streak. Setting a suitable goal for V-League 2024 – 2025 is the target that the home team at Pleiku Stadium needs to consider carefully.
With the coaching philosophy demonstrated by the Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City teams, technical director Vu Tien Thanh may plan to help HAGL stay relegated first. Accumulate enough points to stay in the V-League, looking for a higher position.
HAGL is probably not strong enough to set a “hard” target of the top 3 or top 5, when the positions in the top group are difficult to escape from the hands of the championship candidates. Therefore, calculating “picking up” points for each match is still more suitable for HAGL at this time. With a well-fitting goal shirt, both teachers and students will be in a comfortable mood. But the past has proven that HAGL must be mentally comfortable to… play well.
In the next 5 rounds, HAGL will face Ho Chi Minh City Club, Hanoi Club (2 matches), The Cong Viettel and Binh Dinh. The match schedule is very difficult and will help Ngoc Quang and his teammates reposition their abilities to be ready for the second leg.
