Nam Dinh - when will I stop missing Xuan Son?

Nam Dinh went through a series of 5 matches without a win. Photo: Nam Dinh Green Steel .

Fortunately for Nam Dinh, a late goal from centre-back Lucas Alves helped them escape a humiliating defeat againstSHB Da Nang, a match in which, if they lost, the reigning V.League champions would continue to fall into a mental crisis like they experienced against Becamex TP.HCM.

But that goal, unfortunately, was not the product of a well-crafted tactical plan. It came from a reckless move when the center-back was pushed up to play as a striker in an effort to “save the situation”. And when having to rely on a moment of “desperation” to score, people understood that Nam Dinh’s attack was having a very serious problem.

From boom to stalemate

After 8 rounds, Nam Dinh has only scored 7 goals, a very small number for a team that once stunned the entire V.League with its fierce attack. Last season, they scored 51 goals; in the 2024/25 season, they even scored 60 goals after 26 matches. Today, those numbers are just a beautiful memory.

It is even more ironic that the Southern team has focused all their foreign players on the attack. Of the 7 registered positions this season, only two are defenders - central defender Lucas Alves and midfielder Romulo, the rest are all attackers. However, their performance is at a level... unimaginable in a negative way.

Kyle Hudlin, the 2.06 meter tall “giant”, opened with a goal in the National Super Cup but quickly disappeared in 4 matches in the V.League. Brenner Marlos, the striker who once made the Thien Truong stands explode, has now played all 8 matches without scoring a single goal, only consoling with 1 assist.

Percy Tau and Romulo did not leave any mark in scoring. As for Caio Cesar, the brightest hope, scored 1 goal but was absent due to injury since mid-September.

Nam Dinh is missing Xuan Son very much.

When Caio plays, Hendrio (Do Hoang Hen) has to sit out; when Caio is off, Nam Dinh loses its creative spark in midfield. Caio controls the ball well but is not a "killer" like Do Hoang Hen, while Van Toa, the only domestic player who can make a difference, has had surgery and is out for the rest of the season.

When scoring is no longer instinct

Nam Dinh can cite injuries, can talk about the tight schedule, but those excuses cannot obscure the reality: their attack lacks killer instinct. Despite having 7 foreign players on the roster, coach Nguyen Trung Kien still had to push the center back to play as a striker to find the equalizer. That is not only a tactical stalemate, but also a sign that confidence in the strikers has run out.

It is ironic that the team that once “shot down” every goal in V.League now has to live on the goals of the center back. They are like a toothless tiger, circling the opponent’s penalty area without knowing how to finish. And in each of those soulless attacks, Nam Dinh fans miss Xuan Son even more.

Perhaps feeling that nostalgia, Xuan Son shared an emotional status after the draw with Da Nang : “We will come back stronger, I promise. Thank you to the sincere fans who have always supported us. We still have a long way to go, we are the green warriors, and we will always fight.”

Nam Dinh needs Xuan Son back.

A simple promise but containing the spirit that Nam Dinh is lacking at the moment: trust. Because without Xuan Son, the team seems to have lost its spiritual leader, the one who inspires the attack, something that every coach cannot "train" with just a tactical diagram.

V.League 2025/26 is still long, and Nam Dinh, with a strong squad in theory, have enough time to come back. But they can only do that when they find their scoring instinct again, when the "mercenaries" really fight for the shirt, and when Xuan Son returns to the field.

Otherwise, “missing Xuan Son” will not just be a fleeting emotion, but a deep crack that is causing Nam Dinh's throne to shake every day.

Source: https://znews.vn/nam-dinh-bao-gio-thoi-het-nho-xuan-son-post1597713.html