V.League 2021 Review

The difficult year 2020 has passed, the end of the season, each teamV-LeagueThe first place team received 800 million VND in support from VPF, and the first place team received 400 million VND. The support fund has 16 billion VND, including 9 billion VND from VPF's revenue and 7 billion VND from the World Football Federation (FIFA). Many teams such as Quang Ninh, S.Khanh Hoa, and Can Tho, when their bosses' money was reduced, encountered many difficulties, and existed in a short-term way.

V.League giants

Ho Chi Minh City team is still recruiting massively as usual. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Club

In V.League, the competition is a bit harsher when group A has only 6 teams, instead of 8 teams like last season. Meanwhile, 8 teams in group B have to escape 1.5 relegation spots instead of just 1 spot like last season. This year, there are big changes in the leadership positions of HAGL and Thanh Hoa, but it seems that the championship is still a race of familiar names.

The first names mentioned are the defending champion Viettel, runners-up Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Viettel lost the dangerous striker Bruno, but in return they brought in Brazilian striker Pedro Paulo (Saigon), along with a squad of players in their prime such as Hoang Duc, Khac Ngoc, Ngoc Hai. Not to mention, in the U21 Viettel team that just won the national championship, there will be 4-5 players promoted.

The biggest challenge for champion Viettel is Hanoi, the fact that they liquidated both Pape and Rimario shows how big the ambition of Mr. Hien is. Not only did they quickly snatch Geovane Magno (Saigon), but they also brought to Hang Day Stadium fitness coach Lee Gi Nam of HAGL. Although Van Hau is still injured, the return of Dinh Trong and Duy Manh gives coach Chu Dinh Nghiem many options.

Nghe An football team will promote 4 U21 players who just won the runner-up position to compete in V.League. Photo: SLNA

This is the second season that Ho Chi Minh City has been recruiting heavily, with Cong Phuong, Phi Son, Seo Yong-duk, and Ariel Rodriguez having left. But the most important change is that coach Mano Polking has come to Thong Nhat Stadium to replace his predecessor, coach Chung Hae-seong. It is known that coach Mano Polking has many years of experience working in Southeast Asian football when leading Bangkok United Club. But it was not until December 25 that he started working, even though he had Lee Nguyen, Ortiz, and Tuan Tai (SLNA) in his hands, being in the top 3 is considered a success for this team.

Dark horse group

There are 5 unknowns SLNA, HAGL, SHB.Da Nang, Binh Duong, Hong Linh Ha Tinh will compete for the remaining 3 tickets of group A, meaning the remaining 2 teams will have to play in group B. It seems that Kiatisak did not come to the mountain town to direct HAGL to "play for fun" but the lack of 2 foreign players and the Thai coach appearing quite late makes people still worry about Mr. Duc.

Last year, Hong Linh Ha Tinh excellently entered the top 8 at the last minute, but V.League 2021 only has 6 places, so even with the addition of Kester Oahimijie (HAGL), Phi Son, 4 players from Quang Ninh: Quach Tan, Xuan Hung, Nhat Minh, Claudecir Junior, Hong Mountain still has to try hard and hope for luck.

B.Binh Duong is an unknown, when coach Phan Thanh Hung left Quang Ninh to come to Thu Dau Mot. If given full authority, he and Victor Mansaray (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), striker Pape Omar Faye (Hanoi FC) will not have too much difficulty entering the top 6. But if the relationship between Technical Director Dang Tran Chinh and the coach from Quang Nam is not good, it is unknown what will happen.

Da Nang is a team that has prepared for the season quite early. Coach Le Huynh Duc has brought in central defender Janclesio Almeida (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), striker Hedipo Conceicao (Binh Duong), striker Rafaelson (Nam Dinh) and "dealer" Huy Hung (Quang Nam). On his return to the city on the banks of the Han River, the Hue-born coach has spent a lot of money, but SHB.Da Nang still has not formed a unique style of play. Perhaps coach Le Huynh Duc will play, calculate and be ready to seize the opportunity.

When the “superstructure” cannot be changed, SLNA is still a team that “eats by the seat of their pants”. The departure of their best striker, Ho Tuan Tai, and the lack of foreign players in the squad means that coach Ngo Quang Truong is like a man with his hands tied and has to swim. For more than 4 decades, the Nghe An team has never been relegated, that is true, but what is even more true is that with the current squad and budget, SLNA will hardly be able to enter the top 6.

Relegation race group

It is not difficult to see that Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Hai Phong, Saigon, Thanh Hoa and to some extent the rookie Binh Dinh are the teams that are identified to be in group B, including 8 teams competing for relegation. While Quang Ninh made things difficult for itself when the budget, both generals and soldiers left in droves, Saigon is truly "changing the blood" of the entire main squad. The teams Nam Dinh and Hai Phong are ranked as "poor children", Thanh Hoa has a foreign coach but the force has nothing outstanding, including foreign and domestic players. Meanwhile, the rookie Binh Dinh will find it difficult to squeeze into the top 6 because the regulations stipulate that the first leg only has 13 matches, too difficult for a newly promoted team to adapt./.