V. League and the fierce competition off the pitch.
(Baonghean.vn) - The V.League in recent seasons has seen notable developments with the emergence of new "football powerhouses" such as Hai Phong, Binh Dinh, and most recently Nam Dinh, along with the noteworthy dissolution of Quang Ninh, and possibly Saigon FC or Can Tho in the First Division.
Thankfully, after being upgraded in every aspect, the "dark horse" teams like Hai Phong and Binh Dinh finished the 2022 V.League season with outstanding results: only behind champions Hanoi FC. Hai Phong finished second thanks to hiring a skilled coach like Chu Dinh Nghiem, along with a host of talented players like Hai Huy, and loaning Ngoc Quang and Van Toi… creating a solid framework that performed consistently throughout the season. Meanwhile, Binh Dinh only finished third because their outstanding players hadn't fully gelled at the beginning of the season, but they played better and better towards the end, becoming one of the toughest opponents in the V.League.
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Topenla, Binh Dinh. Photo: danviet.vn |
But next season, with the V.League 2023 seeing significant changes, will these three teams be able to maintain their position, especially with another emerging powerhouse, Nam Dinh, acquiring a host of talented players at Thien Truong Stadium? Hai Phong will no longer have Ngoc Quang, Rimario, or Van Toi… will they have the resources to loan additional key players when their youth academy has been almost completely silent for so long? Will it be a challenge for the team from the city of red flamboyant flowers after a successful season, even though they have re-signed Chu Dinh Nghiem, the best coach of the season?
Meanwhile, Binh Dinh seems unwilling to settle for third place, having added the foreign duo Rimario-Moses from Hai Phong, not to mention several other players transferred from Saigon FC after its dissolution. More notably, Nam Dinh poses the biggest challenge to the top teams with the addition of Nguyen Manh, Khac Ngoc, Huu Tuan, Van Thanh, Hong Duy… It is quite possible that Nam Dinh will “take” Hai Phong's place next season if Vu Hong Viet proves to be just as skilled as Chu Dinh Nghiem on the coaching bench? Nam Dinh has a tradition of youth development. But when their youth teams do well, their first team is very weak, much weaker than Song Lam Nghe An. Are they now going against their own principles by investing heavily in new players without expecting anything from their local youth talent? Newly promoted Hanoi Police also shows considerable ambition by bringing in a foreign coaching staff and several star players…
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Surprisingly, the aforementioned prominent teams are not youth training centers with the depth and breadth of Song Lam Nghe An or Hanoi FC. Their good performances in a few seasons don't really prove much about the path to developing top-level football in these localities, like Hai Phong for example. Let's wait for the 2023 season to see how long the team from Lach Tray Stadium can withstand the pressure. Even Binh Dinh, with its incredibly strong squad, hasn't proven that its abundant resources come from massive spending rather than from fundamental, systematic training. It's certainly good news to have a team that receives significant investment to achieve great ambitions, giving talented players a platform to showcase their skills and receive fair compensation. However, the worries will be greater and longer-lasting when a team lacks a solid foundation, isn't nurtured from the ground up, and only achieves temporary, unsustainable success.
In this context, teams with a tradition of youth development, such as Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, are currently facing difficulties due to their first teams not performing as expected and the "talent drain" not being stopped in time. It is difficult to hope that these teams will reach the top of the V.League as they lack the resources and capabilities to compete with the wealthy clubs mentioned above. The key is for them to continue maintaining the momentum of youth development with new and modern resources and personnel to supplement the first team with young talents through high-level competition and experience, while also retaining some key, outstanding players to serve both immediate and long-term goals.
Spending a lot of money doesn't automatically guarantee a championship, and a promising youth team today doesn't automatically guarantee a championship next season. Hoang Anh Gia Lai's U19 team, or the numerous gold medals won by Song Lam Nghe An's youth teams, didn't lead to a championship, not even a top 3 finish in the V.League for many years. This shows that professional football is far more difficult than amateur football. It also shows that achieving and maintaining the number one position, like Hanoi FC currently has, is unique and rare, even though Viettel has always been a formidable force.
In short, the aforementioned movements, or rather the fierce off-field competition leading up to the new season, have brought both joy and revealed considerable concerns. However, football will undoubtedly continue to attract spectators to the stadiums to witness high-level matches and the shining stars of new teams. Therefore, will the landscape of Vietnamese football change towards a more professional, exciting, and hopeful direction?
