V.League 2021 Preview

The challenging year of 2020 has passed, and with the season ending, each team...V-LeagueThe VPF (Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company) provided 800 million VND in support, while the first-division teams received 400 million VND. The support fund totaled 16 billion VND, including 9 billion VND from VPF revenue and 7 billion VND from the International Football Federation (FIFA). Many teams, such as Quang Ninh, S. Khanh Hoa, and Can Tho, faced numerous difficulties when their owners' finances dwindled, surviving on short-term gains to sustain themselves in the long run.

V.League's big clubs

The Ho Chi Minh City team is still recruiting players en masse as usual. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Club

In the V.League, the competition is somewhat tougher as Group A only has 6 teams, instead of 8 as in the previous season. Meanwhile, the 8 teams in Group B have to avoid 1.5 relegation spots instead of just 1 as in the previous season. This year, there have been major changes in the coaching positions of HAGL and Thanh Hoa, but it seems the championship will still be a race between familiar names.

The first names that come to mind are the reigning champions Viettel, runners-up Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Viettel lost their dangerous striker Bruno, but they compensated by bringing in Brazilian forward Pedro Paulo (Saigon), along with a host of players in their prime such as Hoang Duc, Khac Ngoc, and Ngoc Hai. Not to mention that 4-5 players from Viettel's U21 squad, who just won the national championship, will be promoted to the senior team.

The biggest challenge for champions Viettel is undoubtedly Hanoi FC. Their decision to release both Pape and Rimario shows just how ambitious Chairman Hien is. Not only did they quickly snatch Geovane Magno (Saigon FC), but they also brought in HAGL's fitness coach Lee Gi Nam to Hang Day Stadium. Although Van Hau is still injured, the return of Dinh Trong and Duy Manh gives coach Chu Dinh Nghiem quite a few options.

The Nghe An team will promote four U21 players who recently won the runner-up title to compete in the V.League. (Photo: SLNA)

This is the second season that Ho Chi Minh City FC has been aggressively recruiting new players, with Cong Phuong, Phi Son, Seo Yong-duk, and Ariel Rodriguez having left. However, the most significant change is the arrival of coach Mano Polking at Thong Nhat Stadium, replacing his predecessor, coach Chung Hae-seong. It is known that Coach Mano Polking has many years of experience working in Southeast Asian football, having coached Bangkok United. But he only started his job on December 25th, so even with players like Lee Nguyen, Ortiz, and Tuan Tai (from SLNA) at his disposal, finishing in the top 3 would already be considered a success for the team.

Dark Horse Group

There are five unknowns: SLNA, HAGL, SHB Da Nang, Binh Duong, and Hong Linh Ha Tinh, who will compete for the remaining three spots in Group A, meaning the remaining two teams will be relegated to Group B. It seems Kiatisak didn't come to Pleiku just to coach HAGL "for fun," but the absence of two foreign players and the late arrival of the Thai coach still raise concerns for Chairman Duc.

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

Binh Duong is an unknown quantity, especially after coach Phan Thanh Hung left Quang Ninh to join the team in Thu Dau Mot. If given full authority, he and Victor Mansaray (Hong Linh Ha Tinh) and striker Pape Omar Faye (Hanoi FC) should have little difficulty securing a top 6 finish. However, if the relationship between Technical Director Dang Tran Chinh and the coach from Quang Ninh is strained, the outcome remains uncertain.

Da Nang is a team that prepared for the season quite early. Coach Le Huynh Duc managed to bring in center-back Janclesio Almeida (from Hong Linh Ha Tinh), striker Hedipo Conceicao (from Binh Duong), striker Rafaelson (from Nam Dinh), and playmaker Huy Hung (from Quang Nam). Returning to the city on the banks of the Han River, the coach from Hue spent a considerable amount of money, but SHB Da Nang still hasn't developed a distinctive playing style. Perhaps Coach Le Huynh Duc will play cautiously, strategizing and being ready to seize opportunities.

Without a change in the "top management structure," SLNA remains a team struggling to make ends meet. With their best striker, Ho Tuan Tai, gone and a team yet to be fully assembled due to a lack of foreign players, coach Ngo Quang Truong is like someone with his hands tied, forced to swim. For over four decades, the Nghe An team has never been relegated, that's a fact, but what's even more real is that with their current squad and budget, SLNA is unlikely to finish in the top six.

Group fighting to avoid relegation

It's easy to see that Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Hai Phong, Saigon, Thanh Hoa, and to some extent, newcomer Binh Dinh, are the teams likely to be in Group B, which consists of eight teams battling to avoid relegation. Quang Ninh has made things difficult for itself with massive financial losses and departures of both coaches and players, while Saigon has completely overhauled its starting lineup. Nam Dinh and Hai Phong are considered "poor teams," Thanh Hoa has a foreign coach but lacks any outstanding players, neither foreign nor domestic. Meanwhile, newcomer Binh Dinh will struggle to break into the top six because the regulations only allow 13 matches in the first half of the season, making it extremely difficult for a newly promoted team to adapt.