Not just Kiatisuk's story...

So, after only 8 rounds of V-League 2023-2024, there have been notable changes, especially with foreign coaches. At Hanoi FC, Mr. Lazovic left after the poor performance of the Capital team in the AFC Champions League.

At The Cong Viettel, the American coach Dooley also only coached for 2 matches and was quickly dismissed. At the Hanoi Police, former head coach of U23 Vietnam Gong Oh-kyun only lasted 4 rounds and left without fanfare... And Kiatisuk's turn, moving from the worst team in the V-League in the past few seasons, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, to the less bad team, the current champion, Hanoi Police, really showed his incompetence, although his talent as a player and coach is unquestionable.

Obviously, the head coach position of many teams in the V-League has been and is "hotter" than ever. Notably, most of the foreign coaches have not "stayed" for long, except for Mr. Popov at Dong A Thanh Hoa. The reason is said to be that the foreign coaches are not familiar with the "football culture" in the V-League, cannot control the locker room, do not have an "extended arm" from the coaching staff to each player...

Mr. Gong Oh-kyun used to perform very well in U23 Vietnam, but when he returned to Hanoi Police, he turned the team upside down, not caring about the past, status, and achievements of each person, but only caring about the results on the training ground and then arranging the team in a strange and awkward way... causing the results of the defending champion team to only draw and lose. Mr. Dooley at The Cong Viettel is not unfamiliar with everything in the team, but it seems that the collective loss of strength of the stars has made the team weak and miserable... Even Kiatisuk was criticized for being "too gentle", and then just one addition, Mr. Vu Tien Thanh, made Hoang Anh Gia Lai have a memorable 2-0 victory over Hanoi FC... All of this shows that in V-League, whether the true strength of a team is brought into play or not is a long story, very difficult to explain.

It is noteworthy that while famous foreign coaches are not gaining a firm foothold, domestic coaches are gradually proving their coaching skills at different levels. Most notably, Vu Hong Viet at Thep Xanh Nam Dinh, Bui Doan Quang Huy at Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, Chu Dinh Nghiem at Hai Phong, Le Huynh Duc at Binh Duong... The temporary rankings of the above teams are thanks to domestic coaches, which of course include knowing how to exploit the talents of foreign strikers, domestic pillars and many other reasons. That could be the reason why The Cong Vietel, after "eliminating" the foreign coach, brought back domestic coach Duc Thang, who is a former member of the army team. Not to mention the story that despite facing difficulties, Song Lam Nghe An still trusts Phan Nhu Thuat, Hong Linh Ha Tinh believes in the effort to overcome difficulties led by Nguyen Thanh Cong, Quang Nam always puts faith in Van Sy Son, Khanh Hoa is starting over with the youth of Trong Binh...

Of course, V-League still has a long way to go and it is impossible to say who is sure and who is wavering. With each team, from the force, budget, ambition... the suitability in the coaching role will be different and there cannot be a common model for all. In V-League, successful foreign coaches are few, including Calistore, Popov... but that does not mean that they are not suitable or unnecessary. Everyone knows that the national team is a different, bigger story and Vietnamese football has succeeded and grown with many foreign coaches. In the process of growing up, raising the level from club to national team, clearly, the experience and talent of foreign coaches are necessary, as Mr. Park Hang-seo, Calistore... have done well.

As for Kiatisuk, he was once a big “rival” but also a great contributor to Hoang Anh Gia Lai, a person who is knowledgeable and has been involved with Vietnamese football for a long time. Kiatisuk’s successes and failures at the club or national team level are understandable, sympathetic and shareable. Hopefully, in the upcoming change, if any, Kiatisuk will do great things for the new team and that is not only his victory.