Que Ngoc Hai: Overload and new pressures

Disastrous debut

Unfortunately for the captain of the Vietnamese national team, in his first official match for Viettel, Hai received 2 yellow cards and had to leave the field after 40 minutes on the field.

Que Ngoc Hai had a debut to forget. Photo: Xuan Thuy

The referee was a bit heavy-handed when he thought that Hai had handled the ball in the situation where he received the second yellow card. Playing with one less player, Viettel collapsed quickly and lost 2 more goals before D.Joao scored a goal to shorten the score in the last minute of the match.

Even worse for the former SLNA midfielder, Da Nang player Dominik Schmitt was diagnosed with a broken rib after a collision with Que Ngoc Hai in the 12th minute, which was the foul that caused Ngoc Hai to receive the first yellow card of the match.

In a tense match, it is difficult to avoid fierce collisions. Dominik Schmitt himself also spoke up: "You can't blame him because that's part of football. After the collision, Ngoc Hai proactively apologized to me right on the field."

It is understandable that Ngoc Hai faces the pressure when moving to a new team. Recently, the central defender from Nghe An has matured a lot in the way he plays football. Hai's playing style has become smoother and more refined, and the hasty and excessive tackles are no longer there. For that reason, under the current pressure, Hai needs to demonstrate the qualities of a captain who is loved and supported by Vietnamese football fans.

Overloaded and too little time with the new team

Que Ngoc Hai is the player that Mr. Park Hang-seo used throughout the recent AFF Cup and Asian Cup journey. Having to compete continuously for a long time can easily cause players to be overloaded or bored with football.

Midfielder Quang Hai has not played well for Hanoi FC since returning from the national team. According to coach Chu Dinh Nghiem, the reason is because Hai is feeling "bored with football" and needs to rest to be able to flourish again. Both Ngoc Hai and Quang Hai have had to struggle to compete from club level to national team level throughout the past year.

Que Ngoc Hai had very little time to practice with his new team. Many collisions put Que Ngoc Hai under a lot of pressure in this unforgettable match. Photo: Zing

The central defender from Nghe An had an even harder time. After the Asian Cup ended, Hai only showed up to introduce himself to the team and then returned home for a 2-week Tet holiday before rejoining the team. He only had a very short time to practice with his new teammates before the 2019 V.League opened.

Difficulties for Viettel rookie, rookie Ngoc Hai

With a team that still has many young players in its squad, it is not difficult to understand if Viettel has difficulties in the early stages of V.League.

Besides, Viettel’s Korean strategist, Mr. Lee Heung Sil, has just arrived in Vietnam to do his job. Obviously, with a new playground and new students, it is difficult for him to immediately do his job well.

Remember, Nam Dinh in the 2018 V.League return season had a difficult journey to continue to be present in the V.League playground this year. What Viettel is facing is quite similar to Nam Dinh last year. They cannot help but be overwhelmed by the V.League, a tournament with much fiercer competition than the first division. However, both Nam Dinh and Viettel are teams with a good domestic foundation, when their courage is thicker, they will know what to do to overcome the difficulties ahead.

The same goes for Que Ngoc Hai, no longer having teammates in SLNA, now Ngoc Hai is trying to integrate with new teammates who lack experience in fighting in V.League. However, in his career, the central defender from Nghe An has fallen into dark situations many times, but with his talent and courage, he stood up and gradually conquered the steps of success ahead.