Former head coach of Japan U.23 helps Hanoi FC become a formidable championship candidate

Hanoi Club is currently in the most impressive form in V-League.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

The biggest challenger revealed

Hanoi FC started the 2024 - 2025 V-League in a shaky way, at times falling to 8th place and facing the risk of being "left out" in the championship race when rivals Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh or The Cong Viettel rushed forward at a strong speed.

The turning point came after round 11, when the capital team decided to "change generals", parting ways with young coach Le Duc Tuan (with a record of 4 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses) right before New Year's Eve 2024 to aim for "changing fortunes" in 2025.

Highlight Binh Duong Club 0-3 Hanoi Club | Round 19 V-League 2024-2025

After 2 smooth transition rounds under experienced coach Hoang Van Phuc, in round 14, Hanoi Club welcomed coach Teguramori Makoto - former captain of the Japanese U.23 team who won the 2016 U.23 Asian Cup and participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Striker Passira is shining with 4 goals since the beginning of the second leg

Photo: Ngoc Linh

Immediately, Mr. Teguramori Makoto proved his ability when he debuted with a 3-0 victory right at Pleiku of HAGL despite the absence of central defender Duy Manh, helping the purple team to have 2 consecutive victories for the first time since the beginning of the season.

Since then, Hanoi FC has made an incredible breakthrough with an unbeaten streak. Specifically, coach Teguramori Makoto has helped the former V-League champion have 4 wins, 2 draws in 6 matches leading Hanoi FC, earning 14/16 maximum points.

Two-horse race for the championship?

At the end of the 19th round, Hanoi FC has significantly narrowed the gap with the top team Nam Dinh, successively surpassing opponents The Cong Viettel and Thanh Hoa to firmly establish second place with 34 points, 4 points more than the third-ranked team Thanh Hoa.

Coach Teguramori Makoto is making a strong impression at Hanoi Club.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

In particular, coach Teguramori Makoto and his team have strongly approached the top team Nam Dinh (36 points) with only 2 points less, creating a thrilling two-horse race for the championship in the last 7 rounds of V-League 2024 - 2025.

The most formidable point of Hanoi FC is balance and comprehensiveness. Coach Teguramori Makoto has helped the capital team find a scary balance, with the defense only conceding 4 goals in the last 6 rounds, including 3 clean sheets despite regular player rotation.

This has created a significant solidity in the gameplay, helping the attack above become much more stable. Thanks to that, rookie Passira has gradually shown his sharp scoring ability with 4 goals since the beginning of the second leg until now, while Joao Pedro is currently a "super sub" with 7 goals from the bench.

Looking at the match schedule, the opportunity is wide open for Hanoi FC as they will meet 4 weaker opponents such as Quang Nam, SLNA, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh in the remaining 7 rounds. If they continue to maintain their current impressive form, the capital team will be able to reclaim the championship after 3 years of waiting.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuu-hlv-truong-u23-nhat-ban-giup-clb-ha-noi-thanh-ung-vien-vo-dich-dang-gom-185250421170253101.htm