Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong: From Nghe An to Ho Chi Minh City, 'all beginnings are difficult'!
(Baonghean.vn) - In his first time competing in V.League, the strategist from Nghe An is having to go through many difficulties and challenges.
From assistant to “stuntman”
Before the 2018 season started, Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong decided to move to Ho Chi Minh City to develop his career. The destination was Saigon FC. At that time, leading the Thong Nhat Stadium team was Coach Nguyen Duc Thang (now the head coach of FLC Thanh Hoa). While football fans were eagerly waiting for the "double performance" on the coaching bench between Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong, the former left-back of the Vietnam national team said goodbye to Saigon FC.
Coach Phan Van Tai Em was chosen to take the hot seat left by Coach Nguyen Duc Thang. But Coach Phan Van Tai Em could not stay at Saigon FC for long. After the 2-3 loss to SLNA in the 16th round, the former Long An player had to submit his resignation to the board of directors and it was accepted. Faced with such a situation, the leaders of Saigon FC decided to "hand over the seal" to Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong.
The “assets” that the strategist born in 1977 took over were 13 points and the last position on the ranking of Saigon FC. It is not known whether it was due to “changing generals, changing luck” or not, but Saigon FC immediately had a 1-0 victory over the visiting team Nam Dinh on the day of the introduction of new captain Nguyen Thanh Cong. Thanks to this victory, the home team of Thong Nhat Stadium immediately jumped 2 places to stand at 12th position until today (before the 24th round).
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| Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong (left) officially became the captain of Saigon FC from round 17 of V.League 2018. Photo courtesy |
Under the reign of coach Nguyen Thanh Cong, Saigon FC has gone through 8 rounds of V.League 2017, with a not-so-bad record: 3 wins and 4 losses. In particular, thanks to the wins against 2 direct opponents in the relegation battle, Nam Dinh (1-0) and XSKT Can Tho (3-1), Saigon FC is in a safer position than 8-9 rounds ago. With a gap of 5 points more than the team in 14th place - XSKT Can Tho, the risk of receiving a direct relegation ticket is almost unlikely for coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and his team.
Of course, the danger is still there for the Thong Nhat Stadium team. If Nam Dinh surpasses them in the final rounds, Saigon FC will have to participate in the play-off match with the second-placed team in the 2018 National First Division. However, compared to the teams in the First Division such as Dak Lak, Dong Thap, and Hanoi B (competing for the second place), Nguyen Quoc Long and his teammates are still rated much higher. That said, the possibility of Saigon FC being relegated is extremely small.
The mark of the young general
This is a commendable result for the Thong Nhat Stadium team in general, and coach Nguyen Thanh Cong in particular. At the beginning of this season, with instability in the upper echelons of the team (Chairman Nguyen Giang Dong quit, coach Nguyen Duc Thang resigned...) and a weakened force (Tran Dinh Trong and Ngan Van Dai went to Hanoi FC, Do Van Thuan went to Ho Chi Minh City Club), Saigon FC was considered by experts to be a strong candidate for relegation in V.League 2018.
In particular, when Saigon FC lost to SLNA (2-3) in the 16th round and dropped to the last position on the rankings, forcing coach Phan Van Tai Em to resign, not many people believed that the Thong Nhat Stadium team would escape the "bottom" position. Simply, Saigon FC's force was both weak and lacking, and the "substitute" - coach Nguyen Thanh Cong did not have experience in a fierce arena like V.League.
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| Under the direction of coach Nguyen Thanh Cong, Saigon FC is about to complete its relegation goal. Photo: Internet |
The number 1 tournament of Vietnamese football has only 3 more rounds to go. In front of coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and his team are 3 obstacles including: SHB Da Nang, Than Quang Ninh and Quang Nam FC. Based on all aspects, the opportunity to gain points and thereby own a ticket to stay in the league is within the reach of Nguyen Quoc Long and his teammates.
As long as they can fully utilize their inherent abilities and have a brave fighting spirit like in the 2-0 victory over B.Binh Duong (round 21), the home team at Thong Nhat Stadium will reach the finish line safely.
It can be affirmed that with what has been done, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and his team are completely worthy of receiving praise from fans. And the "leader" - coach Nguyen Thanh Cong is leaving a strong impression in his first time competing in the V.League arena in a new role.
The ancients taught: “All beginnings are hard”. Hopefully, the experiences at Saigon FC will help the 41-year-old strategist reap more success in the near future./.