No luck with 'foreign teacher'
In 2017, when returning to the V-League, Ho Chi Minh City Club appointed Mr. Alain Fiard as head coach. During his 16-year playing career, Mr. Fiard played 452 matches for French teams in the two highest divisions (Ligue 1 and Ligue 2).
However, Mr. Fiard's coaching career before coming to Ho Chi Minh City Club was very vague, with 4 years as an assistant and 1 year as a temporary manager at Auxerre Club. Besides the label of having played football in France, this coach's knowledge of Vietnamese football was zero. But somehow, Mr. Fiard was still chosen to lead Ho Chi Minh City Club, and failed.
After coach Fiard was fired after less than a season, Ho Chi Minh City FC rushed to find the next foreign coaches. Toshiya Miura, Chung Hae-seong, Alexandre Polking were appointed one after another, with salaries and bonuses of up to billions of dong.
Coach Park Hang-seo is rumored to be negotiating with Ho Chi Minh City Club.
With 4 foreign coaches in 4 years (from 2017 to 2021), Ho Chi Minh City team "expends" the most foreign strategists in V-League. However, the only achievement that the team nicknamed "Red Battleship" has achieved is the runner-up position in V-League 2019, under Mr. Chung Hae-seong.
Coach Miura suffered the same fate of being fired after less than a season as Mr. Fiard. Coach Polking and his assistants were paid nearly 700 million VND/month, but also left the team in the bottom half of the rankings before the 2021 V-League was canceled.
The problem of Ho Chi Minh City FC does not stop at the "foreign coach". In V-League, not many teams are associated with flashy rumors like this club. Ho Chi Minh City FC once tried out David N'Gog (former Liverpool striker), Rodrigo Possebon (former MU player) or was rumored to be in contact with Dimitar Berbatov (former famous striker who played for Tottenham or MU). The stars were rolled out the red carpet to come to Ho Chi Minh City FC, but the achievements of this team are very limited.
Because regardless of whether the team uses a domestic or foreign coach and whatever the rumors, the core factor that makes the team successful lies in expertise. After constant turmoil from the top, the coaching team to the personnel, Ho Chi Minh City Club had to compete to stay in the second division in the last two seasons.
A good start in V-League 2023-2024 (4 points after 3 matches) does not guarantee that this season will be easier for the team of interim coach Phung Thanh Phuong.
What does Ho Chi Minh City Club need?
The most stable period of Ho Chi Minh City Club was when the team was coached by Mr. Chung Hae-seong. The Korean coach established "iron" discipline, demanding a high level of satisfaction from his players, and built a pragmatic playing style. In addition, Mr. Chung understood Vietnamese football after 1 year as technical director at HAGL, so he was able to cope with difficulties.
However, the key to the team's success at that time was still a very stable squad, supplemented in the right places, with depth and balance between the lines. With a good foundation, Coach Chung Hae-seong helped Ho Chi Minh City FC compete for the championship with Hanoi FC until the final round of the 2019 season.
Ho Chi Minh City Club lacks direction in player development
However, the stability of Ho Chi Minh City FC lasted too short. Hasty contracts with low-quality players, uncontrolled rejuvenation, or parting with a stable core to welcome a brand new squad, regardless of the reason, are all "bad strategies".
This instability has turned Ho Chi Minh City FC into a rudderless battleship. A team like this, no matter how talented the coach is, will find it difficult to save.
This season, Ho Chi Minh City FC has a new sponsor, with more promise. However, perhaps before finding a famous "foreign coach" to attract investment, Ho Chi Minh City team should focus on the team development strategy and build the force first.
Appointing interim coach Phung Thanh Phuong is a safe move. Mr. Phuong understands Ho Chi Minh City football, having led the Saigon team and having a good relationship with the players. Perhaps at this time, Ho Chi Minh City Club needs simple but practical solutions like that.
Source link
Comment (0)