Seeing Xuan Truong shine, do Thai people regret it?

What Xuan Truong has achieved in 4 months playing for Buriram United is only 1 assist in the AFC Champions League and 1 goal from a free kick in the Thai National Cup. A number too small compared to the expectations of Vietnamese fans.

Xuan Truong has experienced unspeakable loneliness in Thai League. Photo: Buriram

However, during his time at Buriram United, the midfielder from Tuyen Quang mainly appeared on the bench. Statistics show that Xuan Truong had 9 appearances but only 4 times was a starter. That shows that, at Buriram, Xuan Truong is no different from a redundant person.

At the King's Cup 2019, the Vietnamese national team defeated Thailand with a last-minute goal by Anh Duc. The person who indirectly helped Anh Duc score was none other than Xuan Truong. That was the last moment he left at I-Mobile Stadium (Buriram United's home stadium, which is also the venue for the King's Cup).

After this tournament, Buriram's Board of Directors decided to terminate Xuan Truong's contract ahead of schedule, a good decision for both sides at that time. Xuan Truong returned to the Mountain City with the hope of helping HAGL play better in the second leg of V.League 2019. As for Buriram, they quietly deleted all images of Xuan Truong right after the Vietnamese player left.

"There is nothing better than playing with teammates from the Vietnam National Team and HAGL" - Xuan Truong confided after returning to Vietnam.

Returning to HAGL, Xuan Truong seemed to have released the pressure and played brilliantly. Photo: PVF

Indeed, when he was the main actor, the leader of the team in the mountain town, Xuan Truong seemed to have released all pressure to play brilliantly, helping HAGL temporarily overcome the stormy days in the second leg of the season.

In round 16, Xuan Truong cleverly assisted Van Toan to score the equalizer in the big match against Hanoi FC. The goal in the last minutes helped HAGL get a valuable point to continue the relegation race ahead.

Not stopping there, in the recent match against Thanh Hoa, Xuan Truong with 2 beautiful free kicks scored, contributing greatly to HAGL's convincing 3-2 victory over the Thanh team.

"Xuan Truong is too classy and unstoppable" - Thanh Hoa team coach Vu Quang Bao exclaimed after the match in round 18.

The sophistication in set pieces, sharp passes and excellent control of the game by Xuan Truong made HAGL play much better in the second leg.

Looking at what Xuan Truong has done after leaving Thai League, perhaps Buriram United cannot help but regret that they failed to use Xuan Truong as an important tactical card.

Xuan Truong's shining performance after returning to HAGL from the days of being "redundant" in Thai League has proven that the player's class from Tuyen Quang is indisputable. The problem is that class needs to be inspired and placed in a suitable tactical system to maximize its effectiveness. The environment at Buriam United - one of the leading clubs in Thai football, did not have those factors.

And more importantly, Xuan Truong's brilliance has brought good news to the Vietnamese national team, as coach Park Hang-seo will have more options for the attacking midfielder position on the journey to conquer the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

If Xuan Truong continues to shine in the match between Vietnam and Thailand on September 5, the regret and sadness of the Thai people will surely increase many times./.