Song Lam Nghe An and weaknesses against Hai Phong Club

Patchwork of internal troops

As a club that is not strong in youth training, Hai Phong Club cannot be proactive in providing domestic players. Almost every year, the Hai Phong team has to cut their coats to find the "best" players possible. The most outstanding product of Hai Phong Club's training center in recent years is probably goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan. However, in the 2022 season, injuries have made the contributions of the goalkeeper of the Vietnam U23 team insignificant.

Hai Phong Club's domestic players do not have many notable names. Photo: VPF

Instead, it is the new contracts that stand out, including captain Nguyen Hai Huy. After Than Quang Ninh was dissolved, the player born in 1991 thought he would join Ho Chi Minh City Club. However, a last-minute U-turn helped Hai Phong Club have an exemplary and excellent captain. He combined with Chau Ngoc Quang, Trieu Viet Hung and Moses Oloya to create one of the best midfields of V.League 2022.

In addition to recruiting domestic players through free transfers, the Hai Phong team also borrowed some quality players from other clubs. These are Chau Ngoc Quang, Trieu Viet Hung, Dung Quang Nho of Hoang Anh Gia Lai or Dang Van Toi of Hanoi Club. It can be seen that the quality of domestic players of Hai Phong Club is only at a fairly average level, they cannot be compared with traditional teams such as Hanoi Club, Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club, Viettel Club and evenLam River Nghe AnHowever, under the guidance of coach Chu Dinh Nghiem, these individuals have formed a cohesive group to create an excellent Hai Phong Club in the 2022 season.

Quality foreign players

The domestic force is not outstanding, but the quality of the foreign players of the Hai Phong team is very good. In recent years, the foreign players of Hai Phong Club have never disappointed the fans of the Red Flamboyant City. They are Errol Stevens, Diogo Fagan, Joseph Mpande, Jermie Lynch, or this season, Moses Oloya and Rimario Gordon.

Foreign player Mpande also had an excellent season. Photo: VPF

Striker Rimario Gordon has scored 17 goals in 22 matches and will likely be the top scorer of V.League 2022. Midfielder Moses Oloya is the steel shield in the midfield of Hai Phong Club, he is a timely addition to thin midfielders like Hai Huy or Chau Ngoc Quang. It can be said that Joseph Mpande, Moses Oloya and Rimario Gordon are contracts worth the money of Hai Phong Club, the dreams of many other clubs in V.League.

Foreign players are also the biggest difference between the Hai Phong football team and Song Lam Nghe An. Over the years, the Nghe An team has always had a headache in finding quality foreign player contracts. However, Peter Onyekachi, Felipe Martins, Alagie Sosseh, Igor Jelic, Bruno Henrique... have only brought disappointment to the coaching staff and fans. This season, Olaha and Oseni have only played a somewhat average role, while Mario continues to be another "flop" of Song Lam Nghe An. If they do not improve in selecting foreign players next season, it is easy to predict that Song Lam Nghe An will not play successfully.

The best coach in V.League history

On the coaching bench, coach Huy Hoang can hardly be compared with his colleague Chu Dinh Nghiem. While this is only the first season as head coach of the former central defender of the Vietnam national team, Mr. Chu Dinh Nghiem has in his hands 3 V.League championships and many other titles.

Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem is the most successful coach in V.League. Photo: VPF

When inviting Mr. Chu Dinh Nghiem to lead Hai Phong Club, Mr. Hoan placed great trust in this Thanh Hoa strategist. That trust was rewarded with the runner-up position in V.League 2022 and a beautiful playing style that conquered fans nationwide. Mr. Chu Dinh Nghiem is an ideal model for young coaches to learn and follow.

Enthusiastic audience

Along with Song Lam Nghe An and Nam Dinh, Hai Phong's audience is one of the most enthusiastic in the country. The match between the home team Hai Phong and Hanoi Club witnessed 22,000 spectators coming to the stadium to watch, which is also a record number of V.League 2022.

When the favorite team played their best, bringing good and attractive matches, the numbers 17,000, 19,000, 22,000 are completely understandable. Although a small part of Hai Phong's audience is sometimes excessive, they are the 12th player contributing to Hai Phong Club's runner-up position in V.League 2022.

Lach Tray Stadium stands are covered in red during many V.League matches. Photo: VPF

Vinh Stadium also had times when it welcomed a record number of 16,000 spectators, however, towards the end of the season, Song Lam Nghe An's performance has declined, causing the number of spectators to come to the stadium to become increasingly sparse. Nghe An fans have never lost their love for their hometown team. But if the team does not have positive changes, the image of Vinh Stadium's stands next season being sparsely populated is inevitable.

Hai Phong Club ended the 2022 V.League season with a 4-1 victory over Song Lam Nghe An. The runner-up position of the port city team is a clear proof of Hai Phong football's utmost efforts to overcome difficulties. And that is an image for other teams to learn from in the upcoming 2023 season./.