Hong Linh Ha Tinh: When trust is placed in the right place

1."Star" Nguyen Thanh Cong

After 7 rounds of V.League 2023Hong Linh Ha Tinh has had 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. Those were victories against Hai Phong Club, Becamex Binh Duong or draws against teams that were considered stronger such as Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Viettel Club. The 2 losses that coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team had to accept this season came from the 2 teams leading the rankings, Dong A Thanh Hoa and Hanoi Club. It can be said that this is an achievement that somewhat brings peace of mind to Hong Linh Ha Tinh fans after the past journey of the season.

Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong is leading Hong Linh Ha Tinh in the right direction at V.League 2023. Photo: Xuan Thuy.

And that achievement is largely due to coach Nguyen Thanh Cong. He is using practical actions on the field to dispel fans' doubts after his achievements at V.League 2022. This 46-year-old coach has made good use of the cards he has in hand to build an annoying playing style, knowing himself and his opponent.Hong Linh Ha Tinh. It is the tight defensive play and the readiness to launch counter-attack opportunities that helped Hong Linh Ha Tinh get points against Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Viettel Club. It is the readiness to explode against evenly matched opponents to bring home 3 points like in the matches against Hai Phong Club and Becamex Binh Duong. Even in the 2 losses against Dong A Thanh Hoa or Hanoi Club, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team made the 2 teams leading the V.League rankings sweat.

Hong Linh Ha Tinh's long-term commitment to coach Nguyen Thanh Cong is helping the team play with its own identity and their steps are solid steps as the team is "building a house from the foundation".

2.Reinforced internal forces

In the 2022 season, Hong Linh Ha Tinh's unimpressive performance was partly due to the poor performance of domestic players. In particular, two stars Dinh Thanh Trung and Tran Phi Son were continuously injured, causing their creativity in attack to decrease. In this season, conductor Dinh Thanh Trung has almost achieved his best form when he played all 7 matches and had 3 assists. He is the most important explosive of coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's army at the present time. Along with that, midfielder Tran Phi Son also contributed with a beautiful goal in the 3-2 victory over Hai Phong Club.

Dinh Thanh Trung's role in Hong Linh Ha Tinh is very important. Photo: Xuan Thuy.

In addition, the addition of Dang Van Tram, Vu Quang Nam or Dao Tan Loc... also helps to make Hong Linh Ha Tinh's squad "thicker". These are also names that have fought in V.League and their experience will help coach Nguyen Thanh Cong have more quality options in the squad.

Another notable domestic player of Hong Linh Ha Tinh is central defender Nguyen Ngoc Thang. This young central defender is a "homegrown" product of Hong Linh Ha Tinh and is making remarkable progress this season. And the reward for that progress is being called up to the Vietnam U22 team.attend SEA Games 32on Cambodian soil. With what he has shown, this 21-year-old central defender promises to be an indispensable pillar of Hong Linh Ha Tinh in the near future.

3.Foreign players are quite good quality

One of the factors that helped Hong Linh Ha Tinh achieve quite good results this season is the good quality of foreign players. First of all, it is central defender Janclesio Almeida Santos. This is a name that has affirmed itself in the V.League in recent years. The excellent aerial ability of this central defender wearing the number 14 shirt not only helps Hong Linh Ha Tinh to be solid in defense but also dangerous in set-piece attacks. In the 2022 season, Janclesio Almeida Santos scored 7 goals, contributing significantly to Hong Linh Ha Tinh's relegation achievement. In this year's season, although he has not been able to score a goal, he is still a reliable support in the defense of coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team.

Striker Diallo Abdoulaye scored a double in the 3-0 win over Becamex Binh Duong. Photo: Xuan Thuy

However, the most prominent foreign player of Hong Linh Ha Tinh at the moment is striker Diallo Abdoulaye. The Senegalese striker has scored 4 goals and 1 assist after 7 matches. His speed and good finishing ability are the mainstay of Hong Linh Ha Tinh's attacks. Diallo Abdoulaye's quick integration into the V.League has somewhat made coach Nguyen Thanh Cong more confident in the remaining stages of this season.

The remaining foreign player is Jose Paulo Pinto. This is the former player of Dong A Thanh Hoa Club. In V.League 2022, Jose Paulo Pinto scored 9 goals in 21 matches for the Thanh team. However, this season, after 7 matches, the Brazilian player only had 1 assist for his teammate to score. However, Jose Paulo Pinto's contribution to Hong Linh Ha Tinh's gameplay is also noteworthy. His good physique and physical strength help this Brazilian striker dominate in one-on-one or wall battles.

The reasonable addition of personnel combined with the talent of coach Nguyen Thanh Cong is helping Hong Linh Ha Tinh gradually change its appearance in V.League 2023. And these improvements will be a formidable "threat" to the neighbor.Lam River Nghe Anin the upcoming Nghe Tinh Derby.