Ho Chi Minh City Club in danger

This means that Ho Chi Minh City FC is facing the risk of relegation. Entering the final stage of the season, Ho Chi Minh City FC cannot maintain its performance. Coach Phung Thanh Phuong has repeatedly complained about the weak and thin squad, not ensuring the expertise for the club to complete the competition requirements from the coaching staff.

This season, Ho Chi Minh City FC has not been able to bring in many good quality players, mainly using young resources or veteran players who are past their peak. The foreign player procurement policy of the Thong Nhat Stadium team is also unreasonable, when the names brought in are of low professional quality, often injured and have to rest from playing.

That is the reason why Ho Chi Minh City FC suffered its third consecutive loss in the most "sensitive" phase of the season. In fact, the head coach warned the Ho Chi Minh City FC players about this risk from the beginning of the second leg, but non-professional issues are causing the team's fighting spirit to decline.

To be able to stay in the league, coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team needs to win the match against Binh Dinh Club in round 25. The Quy Nhon team is currently at the bottom of the table and is 5 points behind Ho Chi Minh City Club but still has 2 matches left to play. Therefore, if they continue to lose in the match at home, coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team is at risk of falling into the bottom 2 teams. In the final round, Ho Chi Minh City Club will find it difficult to get points when they have to play away at The Cong Viettel Club - a team that is accumulating maximum points to compete for the title of top 3 overall.

Ho Chi Minh City Club (dark shirt) is at risk of relegation if its performance continues to decline. Photo: QUOC AN

With the current patchwork squad, Ho Chi Minh City FC finds it difficult to operate tactically smoothly. Midfielder Endrick's sharp playmaking ability is gradually losing its effectiveness because of the high frequency of matches, causing his physical strength to decline. Furthermore, the 30-year-old "conductor" of Brazilian origin cannot find a suitable partner to coordinate with, making it easy for the opponent to "read his cards", causing Ho Chi Minh City FC's attacking power to decline.

Winger Bui Ngoc Long has also not regained his best form after a period of injury. This season, the midfielder born in 2001 rarely played the full 90 minutes, scoring only 3 goals in 18 appearances.

Also in round 24, Da Nang FC temporarily escaped the bottom of the rankings after a 2-2 draw with Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC on May 23. However, the Han River team is still the leading candidate for relegation at the end of this season, when it is only 1 point ahead of Binh Dinh FC but has played 2 more matches. In addition, the gap in points between Da Nang FC and the group above may widen if Quang Nam and Song Lam Nghe An do not lose in round 24.

This season, V-League only has 1 relegation spot and 1 play-off spot to stay in the league. Ho Chi Minh City Club, Song Lam Nghe An , Quang Nam, Binh Dinh and Da Nang are the teams at high risk of falling into the above 2 spots. The point gap is not large, so just one misstep in the final rounds will change the order of the bottom group.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/clb-tp-hcm-lam-nguy-196250524214239702.htm