The Captain's Armband - Heavy or Light?

The addition of some new and old elements doesn't surprise anyone, but the latest news about theVietnam national team captainWill not be assigned to central defender Ngoc Hai really heat up public opinion?

The captain's armband of Que Ngoc Hai has been transferred. Photo: Bongdaplus

The question is why Ngoc Hai is no longer trusted and voted for by Mr. Park Hang-seo (or his teammates?)? Is it because his professional ability has decreased, because his leadership and commanding qualities are no longer there, or because the armband on his arm has become too heavy for this central defender? It is not easy to answer those questions if we only look at Ngoc Hai's recent performance in the Vietnam National Team. It is also not possible to fully understand Mr. Park Hang-seo's point of view and way of doing things when he informed that "Ngoc Hai will take care of the professional matters"?

The writer would like to mention a recent story, also by Mr. Park Hang-seo, related to the captaincy of the Vietnam U23 team. It is known that during the training and practice process to prepare for the U23 Asian qualifiers, the captaincy of the Vietnam U23 team was assigned to central defender Van Toi. But when playing all 3 official matches, Van Toi was not named in the starting lineup and the captaincy was assigned to Thanh Binh, Hai Long, etc. That proves that the captaincy role on the training ground and on the field of Mr. Park Hang-seo is not the same, everything depends entirely on the arrangement and formation of the team against different opponents to assign the responsibility, not as serious as many people mistakenly think?

Certainly, in the upcoming training session for the remaining 3rd qualifying round matches, Ngoc Hai will still be on the team even though he did not play in the away match against Australia due to receiving enough penalty cards, of course the captain's armband will be given to someone else, Tien Dung or Quang Hai for example? And of course, as Mr. Park Hang-seo informed, in the following matches the captain's armband will be transferred (should we say "stripped"?) to someone else along with many other necessary tasks to renew and improve the level of the Vietnam National Team?

Is it because of that that “the ground collapsed under Ngoc Hai’s feet”? No, absolutely not because whatever Mr. Park Hang-seo does now is for the goal of the Vietnam National Team, in which Ngoc Hai is a pillar and “warrior” Ngoc Hai is the one who understands that better than ever? For the team, for his teammates, Ngoc Hai will certainly support wholeheartedly and fight to the end on the field in the assigned position in defense.

We don't have to look far, but right at this AFF Cup 2021, in the Indonesian national team under the hands of Korean coach Shin Tae-yong just recently to know and understand this story more deeply. Who doesn't know the veteran, talented midfielder who has worn the captain's armband for many years is E. Dumas. Yet in all recent matches of the Indonesian national team, the captain's armband has been given to a young player, the 23-year-old defender Asnawi Mangkualam! When Asnawi left the field to give the armband to someone else, then Dumas entered the field and that person intended to give the armband back to Dumas, but this veteran midfielder immediately refused, determined to trust his teammate.

Ngoc Hai will also experience a similar situation and is confident that this central defender will always have enough "power" to easily overcome everything that lies ahead.

Also in SLNA and the Vietnam National Team, the story of the older teammate Trong Hoang. At SLNA, of course Trong Hoang has more than enough advantages in every aspect to be given the captain's armband. But I don't understand why when shouldering this responsibility, Trong Hoang's performance is not as smooth as usual? In the Vietnam National Team, no one can compare Trong Hoang in terms of professional ability, ethics on the field and life, but will Trong Hoang ever truly be himself if given the captain's armband and will the national team benefit if he is not bound by anything?

To understand whether the captain's armband is heavy or light, important or not is not easy to say, but depends on each person, each different period, each different way of operating.

We support Mr. Park Hang-seo to innovate to move forward, of course along with choosing the team, giving the captain's armband to whoever will benefit the most. Therefore, Ngoc Hai or any player passing the captain's armband to another teammate is a normal, necessary thing, there is nothing to make a fuss about or speculate about. The important thing is that the Vietnam National Team is getting stronger, more united, more cohesive, and has greater resilience when many goals are still waiting ahead.