When the V-League is missing not only Quang Hai

Clearly, a crucial part of the V-League has moved beyond its "comfort zone" to seek new challenges, leaving a void that will not be easily filled.

There's talk of Van Quyet struggling to act as a link between his teammates in Quang Hai's absence, and the whole team clearly felt that in the recent rescheduled match against Nam Dinh in round 3. But looking closely, Hanoi FC is not only missing Quang Hai, but also Duy Manh, which is why the capital team's defense has been conceding goals repeatedly in recent matches.

Neighboring team Viettel is also lacking central defenders, so they occasionally concede goals from counter-attacks in the AFC Cup despite performing well in the tournament.Lam River, Nghe AnWith the tournament fast approaching, defensive midfielder Jong Mark suffered an injury, forcing the team to promote a young player, so it's still unclear what direction the team will take.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai also added a foreign center-back, but the worries don't just come from the defense; the main issue is that a number of big-name stars have been fading on the field since the beginning of the season. T. Binh Dinh made a lot of signings and gradually improved their performance, but currently, their midfield is crowded but lacks sharpness; no one has proven reliable or guaranteed a place in the upcoming matches...

A training session of SLNA. Photo courtesy of Duc Anh.

Mentioning some of the shortcomings and unreliability mentioned above is to say that the V-League is lacking not only Quang Hai, but also many key players due to injuries, poor form, and a long break, making it difficult to expect everything to go as planned. The current problem is that time waits for no one, the schedule is already set, and the fans are eager...

Therefore, teams must assess their own capabilities, playing according to their strengths or aggressively pushing forward to gain an early advantage; this depends entirely on each team's strategy. Viettel can view the AFC Cup group stage as a real warm-up to help the team reach continental heights while also ensuring they are prepared for the challenging domestic league competition.

Will Hanoi FC do everything to prove that the absence of Quang Hai is only a temporary issue, and that they will completely overcome it in the long term? Will Song Lam Nghe An play intensely and wait for the transfer window to open to buy more foreign players? Will Hoang Anh Gia Lai soon regain the not-so-distant glory of Van Toan, Xuan Truong, or Tuan Anh...?

Hopefully, things will settle down over time, and the true champion will gradually emerge, along with Quang Hai's value being showcased in this new arena, bringing new inspiration not only to football talents but also countless other benefits to Vietnamese football.