Coach Popov gives a 'bonus' to the Vietnamese player.

On January 26th (the 27th day of the Lunar New Year), Thanh Hoa FC began its holiday. The team from Thanh Hoa province reconvened on the morning of the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year. They had 5 days off – the longest holiday in recent years. Ideally, Thanh Hoa should have trained more, but coach Velizar Popov changed his mind at the last minute.

Thanh Hoa FC has an extra day off for Tet.

Initially, Thanh Hoa FC continued training until January 26th and started the new year on the second day of Tet (Lunar New Year). However, the team has many players who live far away, such as Lam Ti Phong, A Mit, Thanh Diep, and Thanh Thang. Therefore, the head coach understood that more flexibility was needed. This was especially true for players who had been away from home for three months, like Doan Ngoc Tan, a Vietnamese national team player who had played 11 matches in the past few weeks.

If the training session was of good quality, Mr. Popov would "give gifts" to the whole team. Ultimately, the Bulgarian coach decided to extend the holiday to create the most relaxed atmosphere for his players. On the evening of the 26th of the Lunar New Year, the Thanh Hoa players cleaned up their training camp early and returned home.

Mr. Popov said: " I know this Lunar New Year holiday will be difficult for us. Thanh Hoa will face PSM Makasaar in the Southeast Asian Cup. For whatever reason, I have to create conditions for the players to have a holiday with their families. I and the players have an unspoken agreement to prepare for this match, even though it is very important ."

On February 3rd (the 6th day of the Lunar New Year), Thanh Hoa Club will travel to Indonesia to play their final group stage match in the 2024/2025 Southeast Asian Club Championship.

Thanh Hoa is currently ranked 4th in Group A, but is only 2 points behind the leading team, BG Pathum. The Vietnamese representative is undefeated but has drawn 3 matches. In the final round, they still hold their fate in their own hands; a win against PSM Makassar would guarantee their place in the semi-finals.

If they achieve this, Thanh Hoa will finish second in the group and will face the winner of the other group, Hanoi Police Club.

Mai Phuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hlv-popov-thuong-nong-cho-tuyen-thu-viet-nam-ar922780.html