V-League first leg: Unexpectedly at the top of the table

Although there is still one match left to play, it has been determined that the "king of phase 1" belongs to Nam Dinh Green Steel with 28 points, 23 points more than the next team, Binh Duong, 22 points more than the Hanoi Police, and the 3 teams temporarily at the bottom of the table, Khanh Hoa with 8 points, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and The Cong Viettel with 10 points each.

There may be some small changes in the final round of the first leg, i.e. round 13, but it is certain that there will be no changes at the top and bottom of the V-League rankings. At the top of the table, for the first time in many seasons, Nam Dinh Steel Blue can be completely assured with the results achieved and surely, the Thanh Nam team will take advantage of the momentum to create a safe distance from the opponents behind and finish victorious?

In theory, the belief in Thanh Nam team this season is well-founded and in practice, the determination of coach Vu Hong Viet and his team is shown through each match. Foreign players are among the best in V-League with "top scorer" Rafaelson, excellent midfielder Hendrio, newly added Brazilian center-back Lucas, domestic players "labeled" as national team players such as Van Toan, Van Vu, Hoang Anh, Van Cong, Huu Tuan, Nguyen Manh... combined with a large and professional audience, the owner is willing to open his wallet to reward, it would be strange if this team did not play effectively.

But it will not be easy for the Nam Dinh Steel Blue to reach the finish line when the defending champion Hanoi Police is undefeated under Kiatisuk's leadership. A series of names are truly reviving such as Tan Tai, Van Thanh and especially Quang Hai will make the police team uncomfortable for any V-League team. It is very likely that the competition for the championship will be very close, fierce and tense until the last minute between these two opponents. Because looking at the current reality, Hanoi FC, The Cong Viettel, Binh Duong, Dong A Thanh Hoa or Maryland Quy Nhon Binh Dinh are all out of breath compared to the two teams mentioned above. The fact that Hoang Duc, Hung Dung, Tien Linh... are losing their form along with the inexplicable decline in the decisive matches of the above candidate teams shows that they are not and are not strong enough to compete for the championship, even though there is still half a season ahead.

At the bottom of the table, it is not surprising that the last position belongs to the coastal city team Khanh Hoa, after Hoang Anh Gia Lai's escape in round 12. The Mountain City team is being supplemented with more players from teachers to students, and is adjusting its playing style and approach to be able to withstand the heat in the V-League after many seasons of trying to play fair but not effectively. Meanwhile, the Coast City team is still suffering from the chronic disease of being poor, not having enough strength to find good domestic and foreign players. Obviously, until the end of the first leg, the team was "identified" as Khanh Hoa, not Hoang Anh Gia Lai, and it will be very difficult to escape the sights to earn points because of the different goals of the "council" of other teams.

Surprisingly, the current last position is held by The Cong Viettel, the team that won 3rd place last season. This team is doing everything to escape from the long-standing "unbeaten" situation, by constantly "changing generals" but somehow still cannot "change their luck". In the past, in difficult times, the army team often had many "unique tricks" to escape spectacularly, but it seems that with professional football, the only effective trick must be the way Mr. Duc did for Hoang Anh Gia Lai with the participation of a new tycoon to hope that everything will be bright.

The teams near the bottom of the table all have 13 points, with the names Hai Phong FC, Song Lam Nghe An and Hong Linh Ha Tinh. If they are careful, skillful and lucky, and accumulate the necessary points, these teams can rest assured to stay in the league and finish easily. But if they do not try hard and are unlucky, all three can stumble at any time and then they will have to play "tied to death" without knowing.

Of course, the above are subjective comments and hopefully there will be many interesting surprises for experts and fans in the second leg of V-League this season. The final necessary goal is not only the victory of Nam Dinh Steel Blue or Hanoi Police or some team that unexpectedly takes the throne, but the main thing is the victory of V-League, of the process of improving the quality of the top professional tournament, serving to raise the levelVietnam teamand U23 Vietnam./.