Coach Cong Manh resigns from Binh Duong Club: Vicious cycle, who can save it?

The coach's seat at Binh Duong Club... is too hot!

"I think if I can't do it, I should quit. I have my self-respect. I told the leaders of Binh Duong Club that I would quit. I'm so ashamed to let such a disastrous defeat happen. I'm still me, I accept it and let someone else replace me for a better team. I can't help the team any more. I'm the leader so I have to take responsibility," Coach Nguyen Cong Manh shared after Binh Duong's 0-3 defeat at home to Hanoi Club in round 19 of V-League 2024 - 2025, which took place on the evening of April 19.

The 3-0 defeat at Binh Duong Stadium left the team from Thu Dau Mot in seventh place. Hope of finishing in the top 3 is still there, but the 5-point gap with Thanh Hoa is not easy to bridge. Binh Duong Club is at risk of falling into a familiar state for most of the recent season: not competing for the championship, not worrying about relegation, but just floating in the middle of the table. No goal, no direction.

Binh Duong Club suffered a painful loss, Coach Cong Manh resigned: 'I feel ashamed'

Binh Duong Club (white shirt) lost 3 out of the last 4 matches

PHOTO: VPF

Coach Nguyen Cong Manh's decision to resign was made after Binh Duong FC lost 3 out of the last 4 matches. The most notable were the 0-4 loss to HAGL and the 1-1 draw to Da Nang, which caused Binh Duong FC to be questioned about their motivation to compete. In the next 2 rounds, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates will have to play away against Nam Dinh and Ha Tinh, both of which are very difficult opponents. If they continue to lose, Binh Duong FC will fall into the bottom half.

The situation of Binh Duong Club this season is very similar to... last season. In V-League 2023 - 2024, the team coached by Mr. Le Huynh Duc ranked second in the table for more than half of the season, then slipped very far in the second half and finished in the bottom half. Over the past 10 years, Binh Duong Club has experienced many situations of "the elephant's head and the mouse's tail". Despite heavy investment and good performance in the first half, in the second half, there were inexplicable falls one after another.

It's a pity for the "young general" Nguyen Cong Manh, when he is a potential strategist. Coach Nguyen Cong Manh boldly changed the exercises of Binh Duong Club in a more modern direction, training the players' positional thinking, creating vertical attacks, with interesting sideline climbing and passing moves.

However, coach Nguyen Cong Manh also mentioned what his predecessors had mentioned, that is, Binh Duong Club's squad is very thin, with only a group of main players who have to "work" all season. Coach Le Huynh Duc once frankly pointed out the physical weakness of Binh Duong players, but this season, despite hiring a foreign coach specializing in physical fitness, both Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan and Nguyen Cong Manh have not been able to solve the problem.

Is there a way out?

Binh Duong Club once aimed for great ambition, when bringing in coach Hoang Anh Tuan, building a 17-person coaching team, including nutritionists, analysts, fitness experts, logistics experts... to recreate a completely new team.

Binh Duong Club is unlikely to enter the top 3

However, conflicts in philosophy and management thinking caused coach Hoang Anh Tuan to leave his position early. Mr. Tuan reached an agreement to part ways with Binh Duong team about 2 weeks after the heavy 1-4 defeat to Nam Dinh at home. Today, Binh Duong club lost again by 3 goals at home, and coach Nguyen Cong Manh asked to resign.

Over the years, Binh Duong FC has welcomed many types of head coaches. Young and bold like Tran Minh Chien, Nguyen Cong Manh, experienced like Hoang Anh Tuan, Le Huynh Duc, and knowledgeable like Nguyen Thanh Son have also tried. But, all of them quietly left. However, when changing coaches repeatedly and still empty-handed for 6 years, perhaps the leadership of Binh Duong FC needs to understand that "beheading the general" is only a temporary matter.

The head coach is just one piece of the puzzle. The Binh Duong FC squad has long been disorganized in both domestic and foreign players, lacking in succession. Young players like Bui Vi Hao have not been able to contribute consistently, veterans like Ngoc Hai and Tien Linh cannot shoulder the burden. The reserve force is only average.

There may be new developments surrounding the hot seat of Binh Duong team and the club's leaders are looking for solutions to revive the team.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-cong-manh-xin-tu-chuc-o-clb-binh-duong-vong-xoay-luan-quan-ai-cuu-noi-185250420104155665.htm