Nam Dinh Club receives another cold shower for its Asian ambitions

After dominating the V.League, Nam Dinh FC stepped into the continental arena with the desire to reach new heights. However, every time they faced Japanese representatives, the team from the city received a “cold shower”.

In the 2024/25 season, they were eliminated from the Asian Cup C2 after a 0-7 aggregate defeat against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. A year later, despite investing more heavily, Nam Dinh FC still could not create a surprise when they lost 1-3 at home to Gamba Osaka FC, in the group stage of the Asian Cup C2 on the evening of October 22.

Foreign players have not been able to help Nam Dinh Club reach the continental level.

Nam Dinh Club's efforts to reach new heights

Dominating V.League for two consecutive seasons, Nam Dinh Club aspires to bring the image of Vietnamese football to the continent. The team does not hesitate to spend a lot of money to recruit foreign players from South America and Europe, even accepting to sacrifice part of domestic achievements to focus on the international arena.

However, the developments on the field show that ambition still needs a long time to improve its football expertise. In the match against Gamba Osaka, Nam Dinh FC used a lineup of 8/11 foreign players but was still completely outclassed by the Japanese team's lineup of only 1 foreign player.

According to statistics, Gamba Osaka controlled the ball 67%, launched 28 shots (compared to Nam Dinh's 13), created 7 dangerous opportunities and 8 shots on target - twice as many as their opponents. The Japanese team also made more than 628 passes with 89% accuracy, while Nam Dinh only achieved 76%. The difference in processing speed, ability to escape pressing and organization was evident in every phase of the ball.

This match shows that Nam Dinh cannot stand on the same level as the top clubs in the continent, despite investing heavily in foreign players. They lack connection, are not fluent in tactical operations and are slow to react in transition situations.

Gamba Osaka Club only uses foreign players for the striker position.

The gap in level between the two football backgrounds

Nam Dinh's investment should be recognized. The defeat to Gamba Osaka is a reflection of the huge gap in level between Vietnamese and Japanese football.

Japanese football teams not only possess players with superior technique and tactical thinking, but are also backed by a professional operating system: youth training, sports science , tactical data and long-term strategy.

Meanwhile, Nam Dinh Club is still struggling with the problem of organization, cohesion and especially the ability to adapt tactics.

Coach Vu Hong Viet may be criticized and have his abilities doubted, but in the big picture, no Vietnamese coach has the courage and experience to shoulder the "mountain of work" at the Southern team, with the goal of both maintaining its position in the V.League and reaching out to Asia. The task is beyond the capacity of the current domestic coach training system.

Nam Dinh’s defeat needs to be viewed realistically. With a football foundation still in the process of being perfected, the 1-3 loss is not something to be ashamed of, but a warning against the ambition to take shortcuts.

Nam Dinh FC is a symbol of Vietnamese football’s desire to reach the continental level at the club level. The defeat against Gamba Osaka shows that the path cannot be shortened by money and foreign players alone, but requires a strategic foundation, system and appropriate mettle.

From the early 21st century to the present, Japanese football has undergone many comprehensive revolutions from youth training, professional tournaments, infrastructure and links with top tournaments to export players. It is this “ecosystem” that has helped them beat Spain, Germany and most recently Brazil over the past 5 years.

As for Vietnamese football, when each professional season is still plagued by the fear of teams dropping out of the tournament, it is clear that the gap in skill level cannot be narrowed soon. And Nam Dinh’s failure, if viewed correctly, is a reminder that there is no shortcut to reach continental level.

Source: https://znews.vn/clb-nam-dinh-lai-nhan-gao-nuoc-lanh-cho-tham-vong-chau-a-post1596101.html