V.League 2023: Cluster stars, individual stars

But what concerns many people even more is that the movement of players in new teams, following the principle of "water flowing to the lowest point," is no longer as simple and easy to predict as before.

Conversely, the current "low point" might actually become a "dry spot," which explains the strange phenomenon where strong teams sometimes lose their star players, resulting in some teams having "lone stars" while others become "star-studded" teams, as someone jokingly put it.

Hanoi FC, a long-time top team in the V-League, inexplicably allowed Van Hau, a player recently named in the 2022 AFF Cup All-Star team and a frequent nightmare for Indonesian football players and fans, to transfer to the newly promoted Hanoi Police team.

The fact that Dinh Trong was previously prone to injuries or that Quang Hai went abroad to improve his skills is completely understandable. But with Van Hau's case, it's not easy to fully explain the reasons and causes at this time.

Binh Dinh, the team that finished 3rd in V.League 2022 thanks to a massive squad, is now complaining about unpaid salaries and bonuses, and immediately "losing" stars Tan Tai and Thanh Hao despite having signed long-term contracts with their hometown team.

However, the team from Binh Dinh still has top stars like Van Lam, Xuan Tu, Van Thuan, etc., so the hope of achieving a high ranking in the new season is still plausible, and they will still be a tough team for anyone to beat.

But the most significant decline was at Hoang Anh Gia Lai, where a whole host of players whose contracts had expired successively sought new clubs abroad, such as Cong Phuong and Van Toan, and domestically, such as Van Thanh, Hong Duy, and Xuan Truong… leaving Kiatisuk's team currently composed of only "average" stars like Ngoc Quang, Minh Vuong, Huu Tuan… and many newly called-up young players.

A team full of star players, regularly called up to the national and U23 teams, yet unable to achieve even a respectable result in the V.League, and now losing confidence even before the season begins – this is truly regrettable and disheartening.

Another case of a player who seemed destined to remain with his hometown team for a long time as a leading figure was Van Duc, who unexpectedly left Song Lam Nghe An and joined Van Hau's departure from Hanoi FC, along with a host of other stars, to join the new star-studded Hanoi Police team.

In fact, the phenomenon of top stars joining a team with potential and ambition is nothing new and has always happened everywhere. Hanoi Police was once a proud name in the football scene of the police force and the capital city, and its return after a long period of difficulty is welcome news for many fans.

Hopefully, the return of this team, which is both new and not so new, will truly create a qualitative shift for Vietnamese football. Hopefully, the arrival of a host of stars will shine together, creating a higher level of brilliance within this star-studded team that is not easy to manage. Although Hanoi FC is considered the number one contender for the championship, the emergence of Hanoi Police FC, with its potential and ambition, will not only recreate the fiery Hanoi derby matches but also serve as a pillar to truly elevate Vietnamese football in the long term if everything is done professionally and effectively.

Of course, we shouldn't overlook the recent boisterous and intense involvement of Nam Dinh Green Steel, with big and small stars converging on Thanh Nam to reclaim the former glory of Ha Nam Ninh football. While there may not be any top-tier stars, players like Nguyen Manh, Hong Duy, Van Khanh, Hoang Thinh, Khac Ngoc… are more than capable of competing with other stars throughout the long run of the new season.

Will a three-way rivalry between Hanoi FC, Hanoi Police, and Nam Dinh Steel form to dominate the upcoming V.League? Or will there be fierce competition from Binh Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Binh Duong, and even from the newly-returned team from the coastal city of Khanh Hoa?

In the world of football, the new 2023 season will be a place where "stars" shine brightly, or where only "lone stars" gleam, depending on many objective and subjective factors. Hopefully, no star will disappoint us, and we also hope that many new stars will emerge, although that is always incredibly difficult…