'Same house, different situation' of 2 strikers from Nghe An

Joining Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc, Ho Tuan Tai is expected to join...Nguyen Cong Phuongwill create a "twin" that will dominate the 2024/2025 National First Division. In the past, they were good partners in U19 Vietnam, under coach Guillaume Graechen and U23 Vietnam, under coach Nguyen Huu Thang.

Unfortunately, after the 2017 SEA Games, the career paths of Ho Tuan Tai and Nguyen Cong Phuong went in two different directions. While Ho Tuan Tai rarely got to "eat national team food", Nguyen Cong Phuong achieved a lot of success with U23 Vietnam and the Vietnam national team, typically the runner-up position at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup, the 2019 SEA Games champion and the 2018 AFF Cup champion.

After a long period of "each going their separate ways", at the beginning of this season, Ho Tuan Tai and Nguyen Cong Phuong were able to return to the same roof - Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc. However, up to now, only Nguyen Cong Phuong has received the trust of coach Nguyen Anh Duc. And the striker from Do Luong district has excellently completed the assigned task (5 goals, 1 assist).

In contrast to the sublime performances of his teammate from Nghe An, Ho Tuan Tai often has to be a friend of the bench. According to statistics, the former player of Song Lam Nghe An has only been on the field for 59 minutes, less than 2/3 of the duration of a match. Obviously, Ho Tuan Tai is not competing for a position with other teammates.

At the moment at Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc, coach Nguyen Anh Duc has the services of many quality strikers. In addition to Nguyen Cong Phuong and Ho Tuan Tai, there are also Ho Sy Giap, Le Thanh Binh, Nguyen Huu Khoi, Cu Nguyen Khanh, Le Van Nam. To be able to play, Ho Tuan Tai must possess a strong physical foundation and be in really high form.

Hopefully, the break for the Vietnam National Team to compete in the ASEAN Cup 2024 will help Ho Tuan Tai regain his inherent class. If that happens, domestic football fans will once again witness the "combined swords" performance of Nguyen Cong Phuong and Ho Tuan Tai in the colors of Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc, the "giants" of the National First Division 2024/2025./.