Will Cong Phuong return soon?

The Vietnamese striker was tested by new coach Lim Joong-yong in the role of an attacking midfielder, supporting the trio Seung-yong Kim, Eon-hak Ji and Jun Jae-nam. But the early defeat left Incheon Utd with no choice but to play the familiar "wing-flipping, header" football, and Cong Phuong became a stranger, sadly leaving the field.

The match ended with a ticket to the 5th round of the FA Cup for the away team Cheongju. Currently, Incheon Utd is deep in crisis with the 6th consecutive defeat in all arenas.

In the near future, Cong Phuong still needs to try harder to adapt if he wants to succeed in K.League. Photo: Incheon Utd

If playing abroad has become a normal thing for players in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia, and even Cambodia, it has never been a simple thing for Vietnamese players. Senior players Huynh Duc, Cong Vinh, and Cong Phuong himself only bring commercial value rather than expertise.

It was thought that after his excellent performance at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 and Asian Cup 2019, Cong Phuong was noticed by the team playing in the highest league in Korea, Incheon United, as an opportunity to improve the level of the young man from Do Luong. The expectations of Vietnamese fans for the young man have consumed countless pages and ink over the years.

With proper training and good foreign language skills, the Nghe An boy adapted to the new environment very quickly. Cong Phuong had excellent performances in friendly matches before the new season with some beautiful goals.

Cong Phuong gradually gained the trust of the Incheon United coaching staff and his name on the K.League 2019 roster was completely deserved. From only being on the bench, the striker wearing the number 23 shirt was continuously named in the official lineup and also showed himself to some extent. Up to now, Cong Phuong has played 6 matches, including 2 times being selected by coach Jorn Andersen to start from the beginning.

Entering the field, Cong Phuong still showed his excellent technical qualities, actively moving intelligently without the ball and continuously creating extremely favorable opportunities for his teammates. But Incheon United's attack did not have any real killers so the opportunities could not be converted into goals and they continuously lost.

Currently, Incheon Utd is deep in crisis with the 6th consecutive defeat in all competitions. Photo: Incheon Utd

After the first 7 rounds of K.League 2019, Incheon fell into crisis with a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 5 losses and stood at the bottom of the table. Coach Jorn Andersen of Incheon United wrote a letter of resignation, Vietnamese fans thought that an opportunity would open up for Cong Phuong when assistant Lim Joong-yong took over as interim coach.

But after just one match, people see that it is very difficult for Incheon to change their current style of playing with high balls and long balls, no matter who the official coach is. Changing the entire playing system is not a simple thing at any time, no one believes that Incheon Utd will not change their playing style just because of a player who has not yet made an impression as a leader of the attack.

The current Incheon midfield does not have players who are good at holding the ball, passing low and short in the midfield area. Incheon players do not have the habit of moving close together, supporting each other when losing the ball, which makes Cong Phuong feel lost. Not to mention the ability to compete and support defense is not this guy's strong point. When his strengths have not been used, and his weaknesses are clearly shown, sitting on the bench is a natural thing.

Incheon Utd is on the decline and shows no signs of slowing down. If the team cannot get out of the crisis and is banished to the bench for a long time, Cong Phuong will feel frustrated and lose motivation to play, which is extremely dangerous for this striker. This is also the concern of Mr. Park and many Cong Phuong fans.

Going out is to learn from experience. For now, Cong Phuong still needs to try harder to adapt if he wants to succeed in K.League, which is what any professional football player must do, should do. But if things do not progress, he should return to Vietnam to play because this is where he can develop the best of what he has.

AT