HAGL's attack line is on red alert, waiting for 'Thai Zico' Kiatisak to take action

Striker Dinh Thanh Binh during HAGL's 1-2 defeat against CAHN.

The preliminary round match of the 2023-2024 National Cup at Hang Day Stadium against Hanoi Police FC not only thwarted their ambitions to advance further in this competition, but also left HAGL FC, coached by Kiatisak, with a significant loss of personnel.

After making a clever run and providing a superb assist for Chau Ngoc Quang's opening goal in the 14th minute, striker Dinh Thanh Binh played very energetically and impressively, creating many threatening opportunities against goalkeeper Filip Nguyen's goal.

However, during a tackle that missed the center of the ball, Dinh Thanh Binh's knee hit the ground, causing him pain and forcing him to be substituted in the 41st minute.

Subsequent scans revealed that the striker, who had previously been called up to the Vietnamese national team by coach Philippe Troussier, suffered a sprain of the hamstring muscles in his knee and a partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament. He is expected to be out for a month or more.

HAGL FC will lose striker Martin Dzilah for the rest of the season.

The worst was yet to come, as other scans confirmed that striker Martin Dzilah was also in serious pain, suffering both a hamstring injury and a torn ligament.

Today, the Ghanaian striker had to be taken to Ho Chi Minh City for knee surgery, effectively ending his 2023-2024 season prematurely. Losing two key strikers at the same time can be considered a heavy blow to HAGL's ambitions.

Never before has HAGL FC relied so heavily on coach Kiatisak's tactical prowess as it does now, with the team from the mountainous region currently sitting at the bottom of the league table after the first three rounds, with only one point from their opening match draw against Hai Phong FC.

"Zico Thai" currently has the striker duo of Nguyen Quoc Viet and Jhon Cley at his disposal. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that both strikers are more suited to playing on the wings than as a central striker.

HAGL FC is hoping that coach Kiatisak's talent will help the duo Quoc Viet and Jon Cley develop good chemistry.

Hopefully, with the experience of a top Asian striker, coach Kiatisak will help this striker duo—one tall, one short—develop a good understanding of how to play together within at least another month.

At least there's a silver lining: HAGL's upcoming schedule includes matches against ambitious opponents like Binh Duong FC and The Cong - Viettel, but they'll get to play at their home stadium in Pleiku.

After that, coach Kiatisak and his team will have two away matches: one at Vinh Stadium against SLNA FC and another at Thien Truong Stadium against Nam Dinh FC, before returning to Pleiku to host their "rival" Hanoi FC on December 27th.

It's a very difficult road. HAGL FC, with its severely depleted attack, will have to push itself to overcome the difficulties. However, from a positive perspective, it will be an opportunity for young striker Nguyen Quoc Viet to prove himself.

But with the current squad and personnel, coach Kiatisak will certainly need the support of Chairman Duc and a new sponsor, along with at least one more foreign center forward, to ensure HAGL's firepower for the long race in the V-League 2023-2024.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/hang-cong-hagl-bao-dong-do-cho-zico-thai-kiatisak-ra-tay-185231128142252115.htm