Golden Ball winner Dinh Thanh Trung's concerns
(Baonghean.vn) - Quang Nam audiences are extremely disappointed as captain Dinh Thanh Trung and before that, goalkeeper Van Cuong were just eliminated from the national team.
2017 was an extremely successful season for Quang Nam football when they won the V-League championship and the National Super Cup for the first time. The goal for the 2018 season was determined by the Quang Nam team to be in the top 3 in the V-League and strive to win the national cup (2017 season bronze medal) to complete the collection of championship titles.
However, things did not go as expected even though the team's owner was still boss Le Nguyen Hong - a veteran of Vietnamese football, currently holding the position of Head of the VFF's grassroots football department, member of the VFF Executive Committee, term VII.
Golden Ball decline
Starting the season as the defending champion, Quang Nam finished in the top 4 of the 2018 V-League… from the bottom. What Golden Ball winner Dinh Thanh Trung and his teammates showed last season was clearly a huge disappointment.
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| On fanpages, Quang Nam fans said: "Thanh Trung is still a talented midfielder, Mr. Park's decision to eliminate Trung is simply a matter of choosing players suitable for his tactics." Photo: Internet |
Dinh Thanh Trung still has 8 goals and 5 assists, but the influence of the Ha Tinh native on the team is not much. Compared to last season, when Thanh Trung's passes lost their original sharpness, his role as captain when the Quang Nam team encountered difficulties was not as prominent.
When Dinh Thanh Trung, Huy Hung and the midfielders could not control the ball, Quang Nam's net was breached 45 times, equal to the teams below such as Ho Chi Minh City Club, Nam Dinh. Few people thought that the defending champion received 9 defeats and only tasted victory 7 times, far from the sublime performance of last season when they had 13 wins and only 4 losses.
The Quang Nam team could not show the beautiful, attractive playing style to the fans as promised at the beginning of the season; instead, Thanh Trung and his teammates always showed bland, unconvincing performances.
In fact, due to poor foreign players, Thanh Trung had to "work hard" to compensate and his physical strength at the end of the season was reduced and his form and performance were not suitable for Mr. Park's preparation schedule for the AFF Cup 2018. The best foreign player of V-League 2017, Claudecir, after "stumbling" and having to sit out 5 rounds, lost his form due to a long period of not practicing. Wander Luiz, after leaving Tam Ky Stadium, came to Can Tho Stadium to shine with 13 goals.
6 new recruits came to Tam Ky but none of them played really well, sharing the burden with Thanh Trung. There was a time when Quang Nam played without a striker because Claudecir and Ha Minh Tuan were both injured for trivial reasons. It is true that the 2017 Golden Ball can hardly shine when the satellites around cannot support much. It is not difficult for teams to come up with plans to surround and isolate this midfielder.
Quang Nam's feelings
Under coach Huu Thang, Thanh Trung is often a starter, and in many matches he even wears the captain's armband. The player from Ha Tinh is highly regarded for his sharp free kicks and highly accurate crosses.
In the practice matches with Korean clubs, Thanh Trung played well, especially in the two matches against Incheon United and Seoul FC. However, the current form of the Quang Nam captain cannot be compared to his juniors, so he had to tearfully say goodbye to the team.
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| Immediately after hearing the news of his elimination, Thanh Trung said goodbye to the team and devoted his energy to the club. Photo: Internet |
Quang Nam fans can hardly be happy when both goalkeeper Van Cuong and captain Thanh Trung have been removed from the team list. Only midfielder Huy Hung is still on the flight to Laos, but the possibility of him playing officially is only 50/50. Everything reflects what the team has just gone through and signals that the difficult 2019 V-League awaits the team at Tam Ky Stadium.
On fanpages, Quang Nam fans said: "Thanh Trung is still a talented midfielder, Mr. Park's decision to eliminate Trung is simply a matter of choosing players suitable for his tactics." Many Vietnamese fans also share the same opinion.
After the failed season, Quang Nam Club President Le Nguyen Hong - who is famous for saying: "I think Vietnamese referees were trained by VPF at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Blind School" left the team. Captain Thanh Trung, after being removed from the AFF Cup 2018 preparation list by Mr. Park, also said goodbye to the team. Many national players, after saying goodbye to the team, focused on playing for their clubs and shone again, we believe Thanh Trung will do the same.