Rating foreign players in V-League 2017

(Baonghean.vn) - Among the 14 teams participating in V-League 2017, only 5 teams – HAGL, Long An, Saigon, S. Khanh Hoa and SLNA – used only 2 foreign players, while the tournament regulations allow for "2 foreign players and 1 naturalized player".We will analyze and comment on the difficulties and advantages of SLNA in the last 10 rounds, with the foreign duo Olaha-Danko.

It can be said that, apart from Saigon FC which lacks big ambitions, the other four teams mainly refrain from recruiting naturalized players due to financial constraints. Obviously, when foreign players are suspended or injured, the teams will suffer losses, but it's true that without money, there's nothing they can do.

Conversely, Hanoi FC and Than Quang Ninh FC, due to their participation in the AFC Cup, are allowed to register 3 foreign players and 1 naturalized player. This is a favorable condition for the teams, as the V-League is a long-distance race.

Additionally, nine teams registered two foreign players and one naturalized player: B.Binh Duong, FLC Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Quang Nam, SHB Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and XSKT Can Tho. Of these, FLC Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, and SHB Da Nang are teams investing in medal contention, Quang Nam and Ho Chi Minh City have naturalized players to support their domestic squad, while B.Binh Duong and XSKT Can Tho are fighting to avoid relegation.

List of foreign and naturalized players for the second half of the V-League 2017 season. Photo: Internet

Strengthen the defense

Because the HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy doesn't train defenders and coach Quoc Tuan prefers a 3-5-2 formation, only the team from Pleiku has acquired two foreign defenders. Most teams with two foreign players and one naturalized player use one foreign defender, such as Binh Duong, FLC Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Quang Nam, while Cong Vinh's team entrusted the goalkeeper position to Quoc Thien Esele.

The two central defenders, Nguyen Van Bakel (FLC Thanh Hoa) and Le Van Phu (Hai Phong), along with Thiago (Quang Nam), have all played in Vietnamese football for many years, signaling difficulties for SLNA's foreign duo Olaha and Danko when facing them.

In fact, on the Tam Ky pitch, with a lineup featuring one foreign center-back, and Claudecir and Dai Duong playing aggressively and physically, the Nghe An team was exhausted and suffered numerous injuries. S. Khanh Hoa is a team that has been quite successful in playing with one foreign center-back and one foreign striker for many years.

Strengthen the attack

Hanoi FC's coach Chu Đình Nghiêm, in his quest to defend the championship title, has used four foreign players in the attacking line. This is considered a risky gamble, as he excluded center-back Alavaro from the squad for the second half of the season while versatile player Gonzalo is injured.

After naturalizing Do Merlo, the Han River team also fielded three foreign players in attack, all of whom were skilled in aerial duels and played a high-pressure, attacking style. This was truly a "nightmare" for Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates, as stopping these foreign players had never been easy for SLNA.

SLNA, Long An, and Saigon FC all use two foreign players in their attacking line, but the Brazilian duo of Saigon FC are considered superior. Long An, in a desperate attempt, also acquired an expensive foreign player, but it is unlikely they will be able to revive a team whose morale has plummeted.

New recruit Danko has two months to integrate into his new team. Photo: Dung Nguyen

Other teams don't rate the striker duo Olaha and Danko of the Vinh-based team highly because they believe that goals are necessary to prove their quality. In nearly 20 matches, Olaha has only scored 2 goals, and Danko will likely need a considerable amount of time to integrate before scoring his first goal.

Clearly, if we only consider the effectiveness and influence of foreign players on the team's overall performance, the Olaha-Danko pairing is only ranked higher than the foreign players of HAGL and Long An, and on par with S. Khanh Hoa. Given this situation, there's no other option but to "compensate for foreign players with domestic players," especially with young players like Phuc Tinh and Van Duc in good form, and Tuan Tai having returned from injury.

AT