Danger comes early to HAGL team

After 6 winless matches (not including 1 make-up match), including 3 defeats, Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club (HAGL) is sinking deeper and deeper to the bottom of the V-League 2025-2026 rankings. The mountain town team's poor performance streak may continue when they face The Cong Viettel at 5:00 p.m. on October 26 (FPT Play).

"Dull attack, poor defense"

HAGL used to be a major force in the domestic arena, but in the last 3 seasons, the Pleiku team has struggled with the relegation race. Coach Le Quang Trai's team still has one match left to play and will escape the "dangerous" group if they win the make-up match. However, HAGL's current situation is that they do not have enough strength to turn the situation around. The coaching staff continues to take advantage of self-trained young resources to compete in the V-League, leading to a lack of coherence, poor ideas and ineffective gameplay.

Nguy cơ đến sớm với đội HAGL - Ảnh 1. — HAGL (right) has only got 3 points from 3 draws and is at the bottom of the rankings. Photo: VPF

Before the new season, fans were worried about the quality of HAGL's squad, when they said goodbye to a series of pillars such as Minh Vuong, Ngoc Quang, Quang Nho, Bao Toan, Ly Duc, Van Son... and promoted young faces with little combat experience to play alongside foreign players with poor technical skills to the first team. As a result, HAGL became the team with the fewest goals after 7 rounds of V-League, with only 1 goal.

Through the rounds of huddled competition, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, despite playing at 200% of his potential and making miraculous saves, still conceded 8 goals. "Dull attack and poor defense" caused the foreign players' morale to drop, leading to "scolding" with teammates on the field.

HAGL has not had a good performance, but coach Le Quang Trai affirmed that his players always show enthusiasm and dedication for the club's colors. Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh is even confident that his team will be in the top 5 of the V-League.

Need to strengthen forces

That can become a reality if HAGL boldly invests in human resources in the upcoming player transfer period, especially needing a reasonable foreign player purchasing policy. After the departure of center-back Ly Duc, Jairo lost his good partner in defense. Similarly, HAGL Club has not found a high-class factor to take on the responsibilities of Minh Vuong and Ngoc Quang in midfield. Marciel Silva is an experienced "conductor" with high professional qualifications but cannot continuously carry and control the midfield alone.

On the offensive line, coach Le Quang Trai's team has two foreign players of Brazilian origin, Gabriel da Conceicao dos Santos and Khevin Rodrigo Fraga, but this duo has not been able to adapt to the V-League competition conditions, performing lacklusterly in the three matches they have played this season.

Experts believe that HAGL needs high-quality foreign players to support the young players, creating a catalyst to make the team stronger. Currently, the 4 foreign players recruited by HAGL this season have not really completed their mission. Unable to beat opponents considered to be of equal level, HAGL will hardly be able to create a surprise when welcoming The Cong Viettel at the present time.

Despite having home field advantage, HAGL Club is still considered inferior because of its inferior squad depth compared to the "soldier team". The Cong Viettel is one of three undefeated teams since the beginning of the 2025-2026 V-League season, currently ranked second in the rankings with 15 points.

Under the leadership of coach Popov, The Cong Viettel has become a candidate for the domestic championship this season, demonstrated through equal performances with strong opponents such as Ninh Binh Club, Hanoi Police and Hanoi.

"If there is another defeat, HAGL will continue to be stuck at the bottom of the table after round 8. The mountain town team can easily receive a relegation spot if there is no change soon.