Will Hanoi Police FC and HAGL change their fortunes by changing coaches?

Night Wolf V.League 1-2023/24 has officially returned after a long break, making way for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and Lunar New Year. In the schedule of 7 matches of round 9, the focus is on 2 matches: Cong An Ha Noi Club (CAHN) - Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Hong Linh Ha Tinh - Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL).

Coach Kiatisak brings CAHN back into the race.

Hang Day Stadium is where CAHN will welcome Ho Chi Minh City Club. Since moving to HAGL, this is the debut match for the new team fans of new coach Kiatisuk Senamuang.

Exciting matches in round 9 of V.League.

Before “Thai Zico”, the reigning V.League champion had changed coaches twice since the beginning of the season, namely Tran Tien Dai and Gong Oh Kyun. Unstable performance and poor results, losing 7 points to the leading team on the rankings, made many fans worried.

Therefore, the appearance of new coach Kiatisak brings hope for a rebuild for CAHN. In the early stages of the season, the Thai strategist was not successful with HAGL but this can be sympathized because this season the team from the mountain town has too thin a force.

Meanwhile, CAHN possesses an extremely high-quality pool of players. With names like Quang Hai, Ho Tan Tai, Van Thanh, and Nguyen Filip… Coach Kiatisak has many ideas for assembling the team and applying brilliant tactics, just as he did when leading HAGL to the top of the table in the 2021 season. Coach Kiatisak's goal is clearly to bring CAHN back into the championship race.

Coach Kiatisak is expected at Hanoi Police Club.

However, the opponent of the debut match - Ho Chi Minh City Club - is not easy to "bully". Compared to the 2023 season when they struggled to stay in the league, the Saigon team has transformed positively this year. Even if they had not unexpectedly stumbled against Ha Tinh in round 8, Ho Chi Minh City would have had the opportunity to rise to 3rd place.

The Thong Nhat Stadium team is also highly rated in terms of defense as they are the team that has conceded the fewest goals this season (6 goals). Scoring against TP.HCM is a difficult challenge for CAHN.

It is not difficult to predict that CAHN will dominate the match. The Capital team will likely push up their formation to look for a goal to take the lead. However, they must also be on high alert if they do not want to receive a "counterattack" from their opponents.

Coach Vu Tien Thanh 'rescues' HAGL

The departure of Coach Kiatisak led to the promotion of Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh to become the head coach of HAGL. The first match in the new position of the strategist born in 1964 was the "6-point match" with Hong Linh Ha Tinh at Ha Tinh Stadium.

He previously made a strong impression by leading Saigon FC to a top 3 finish in the V.League 2020 and successfully keeping Ho Chi Minh City FC in the V.League last season. A common thread in both periods is that Coach Thanh didn't have a particularly strong squad at his disposal, primarily demonstrating his ability to make the most of what he had. Now, HAGL fans hope the former Vietnamese national team interpreter can step in to rescue their team, which also possesses a relatively thin squad.

Currently, the Pleiku home team is stuck at the bottom of the table with 5 points, 1 point behind Ha Tinh and Khanh Hoa. They really need a victory against Ha Tinh to surpass their opponents on the rankings and boost their morale.

In terms of squad strength, HAGL has an advantage over Hong Linh Ha Tinh. In round 9, the home team will be without two key defenders, Van Hanh and Ngoc Thang. With these absences, coach Vu Tien Thanh can instruct attacking players like Jhon Cley, Quoc Viet, or Minh Vuong to push forward in search of goals.

However, things are not expected to be easy for HAGL. In their last five encounters, the team from the mountainous region has only managed to draw against their opponent. On the other hand, Hong Linh Ha Tinh is holding a certain level of confidence after unexpectedly defeating Ho Chi Minh City in the last round, securing their first victory of the season.

A match that promises to be dramatic, tight and can be resolved from a decisive shining situation. The team that wins the upcoming "reverse final" will have many advantages in the relegation race.

FPT Play holds the broadcasting rights for professional football leagues in Vietnam for five seasons, from 2023 to 2027. The exciting matches between Hanoi Police and Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Linh Ha Tinh and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, along with the entire Night Wolf V.League 1-2023/24 season, will be broadcast live and in their entirety on the FPT Play system.

Mai Phuong

Source