Cong Phuong in action, this season's first division is extremely interesting and hot

The national first-class playground has long been considered a nursery for young talents, as many players playing here are still very young, at a potential level waiting to shine, while the rest are veterans who are no longer suitable for the playing speed of the V-League, so they should find a more suitable playground to "retire".

It is very rare to have a national team player playing in the first division, because most stars will choose to play for V-League teams to compete at the highest level.

Cong Phuong joins Binh Phuoc Club

However, the wind has changed direction this season, when the first division giants continuously spent money to bring in big names. For example, Ninh Binh Club was poured money to bring in a series of national players (or former players) such as goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, center back Le Ngoc Bao, defender Do Thanh Thinh or striker Tran Ngoc Son.

Looking at the Ninh Binh team's squad, many people would mistake this for a representative playing in the V-League. The Ninh Binh team is coached by Nguyen Viet Thang, former assistant to coach Philippe Troussier in the Vietnam national team.

With a strong army that surpasses the average level of the first division, Ninh Binh Club is a strong candidate for the championship. However, the appearance of Nguyen Cong Phuong at Binh Phuoc Club may reverse the prediction.

Although he was unsuccessful in all four overseas trips to Japan, Korea and Belgium, Cong Phuong still achieved impressive performance in Vietnam's professional football arena. In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the 29-year-old striker scored 11 goals in 28 matches, being one of the domestic strikers with the best scoring efficiency in the V-League. Or before that, in the 2020 season, Cong Phuong scored 6 goals in 12 matches for Ho Chi Minh City Club.

Technique and agility are still Cong Phuong's strengths, when put into the reference system of Vietnamese players' level to evaluate. At the same time, the "huge" contract with Cong Phuong shows Binh Phuoc's ambition.

Cong Phuong failed at Yokohama FC, but in Vietnam it's a different story.

In the 2023-2024 season, the Southeast representative competed for promotion with PVF-CAND Club until the final rounds and only fell because they were not sharp enough.

With a star of high class and image appeal like Cong Phuong, along with technical director Yusuke Adachi (formerly technical director of the Vietnam Football Federation) and coach Nguyen Anh Duc, Binh Phuoc Club will be very notable this season. The Southern team shows a desire to play professional football and the appearance of one of the best strikers under coach Park Hang-seo is considered to raise the level of the team.

The challenge for the Nghe An striker is that he has only played less than 40 minutes in the past 2 years, so his fitness and form are big questions. However, in a tournament with a speed, intensity and fierce nature much lower than J-League 2, the opportunity for Cong Phuong is wide open.

Finally, PVF-CAND Club is also a strong candidate. Coach Mauro Jeronimo's young team does not possess stars like their opponents, but the team headquartered at the PVF Youth Football Training Center possesses a cohesive playing style, a specific philosophy and an even squad.

PVF-CAND's tactics are considered modern, and the only minus point of this team is probably its lack of experience at the decisive moment.

The race between experience and youth, individual qualities and collective strength… will make this year’s first division hot. When many strong teams have ambitions to enter the V-League, it means the “three-horse” competition will be unpredictable until the final rounds.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cong-phuong-xuat-tran-giai-hang-nhat-mua-nay-cuc-hay-va-nong-185240922145810444.htm