What to expect when V.League 2022 returns?

After the Vietnamese national team and U23 team's training camps, V. League 1 and 2-2022 football clubs begin their familiar, grueling "long-distance race" during the hottest time of the year, from the beginning of July onwards. Following that, at the end of the year, the national team will gather again to compete in the AFF Cup 2022, aiming to reclaim what they lost to Thailand and determine whether to renew contracts or end the "Park Hang-seo era"...

Indeed, by dedicating maximum effort to the national teams, Vietnamese football has chosen an unconventional approach, and this will likely be rectified in the future by aligning the schedule with global football trends, meaning tournaments run from the second half of the previous year into the first half of the following year.

The biggest concern during the V.League 1 and 2-2022 seasons is how the performance of the national team and U23 Vietnam players will contribute to the overall results of the various competitions, with the championship race, promotion race, and relegation race being closely monitored.

In the V.League 1-2022 season, after four rounds, it's too early to say anything definitive, so all attention remains focused on top teams like Hanoi FC and Viettel. Meanwhile, after their performances in previous matches, including the recent Hai Phong Four-Team Cup, the team owned by Mr. Duc and Kiatisuk is being questioned about its form, strength, and ambition, as it has suddenly become lackluster and its star players have shown signs of fatigue recently.

There will be many major changes at SLNA Club in the new season. Photo: Duc Anh

Meanwhile, in the V.League 2-2022 (the First Division), Ba Ria - Vung Tau's ambitions are well-founded, but the efforts of Public Security, Pho Hien, and Quang Nam cannot be ignored. With a host of young coaches like Hong Son, Viet Thang, Minh Phuong... (winners of the 2008 AFF Cup), the race will be intense until the very last minute, and that is a noteworthy positive point for Vietnamese football, as this league has long received little media attention and other aspects. Currently, after the U23 Asian Championship, prominent names like Tuan Tai, Minh Binh... playing in V.League 2 will significantly increase interest in this league compared to before.

Following the U23 Asian Championship, among the U23 players, at least 4-5 have been "nominated" by experts to potentially join the Vietnamese national team in the near future, including Van Chuan, Tuan Tai, Van Do, Manh Dung, Van Khang, etc. However, the answer will depend on how these players are deployed and utilized in the future.

Most recently, in Viettel's opening match of the AFC Cup 2022, Mạnh Dũng and Danh Trung were brought on in the second half, with Mạnh Dũng scoring a goal. Although head coach Bae Ji Won praised his performance, the fact that he "still hasn't secured a regular starting position" is something everyone knows, including Mạnh Dũng himself. If Tuấn Tài were recalled from Daklak, he would likely face the same situation as Mạnh Dũng. This is a reality not only at Viettel but also at Hanoi FC for Văn Chuẩn, Tiến Long, and many others…

Before the return of V.League 1 and 2 in 2022, there were competitions in the Four-Team Cup featuring Hai Phong, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, etc. These tournaments showed the desire of Hanoi FC and SLNA to return to their golden age, and the performances of national team players were quite convincing, except for the HAGL players who continued their decline as they have been for a long time. The question arises: why did players loaned from HAGL to Hai Phong, such as Viet Hung, Ngoc Quang, and Quang Nho, perform so well, while those who were trusted and had high hopes for them failed to meet expectations? The answer is not easy, and only time will tell who was right, who was wrong, and who was hasty in evaluating and assessing this talent. Similarly, the fact that a famous team like Viettel failed to recognize Tuan Tai and then loaned him out, only for him to become a national and international star, is a difficult question that even foreign coaches like Park Hang-seo and Gong Oh-kyun posed to the experts of Vietnamese football.

Besides the aforementioned positive aspects, when V.League 1 and 2-2022 resume, hopefully we won't witness any biased refereeing on the field, and the refereeing will be conducted fairly, objectively, and in accordance with the rules as much as possible. Furthermore, fans attending matches should also take responsibility for preventing offensive cheering behaviors, such as throwing flares, to contribute to the overall success and elevate a league that has long been considered inferior to Thailand.