The AFF Cup champions were lackluster!

Hanoi FC suffered another defeat at Hang Day Stadium.

The 0-1 defeat against HAGL on January 24th hasn't eliminated Hanoi FC from the V-League championship race. Coach Le Duc Tuan's team is only 5 points behind Thanh Hoa , with more than half the season still to go. However, Hanoi's performance in the last three matches, especially last night's loss, has been below expectations.

Highlights: Hanoi FC 0-1 HAGL FC | Round 11 V-League 2024-2025

Hanoi FC only needed 7 minutes to shoot themselves in the foot with a naive tackle that led to a red card for Vu Dinh Hai. The player, born in 2000, has been playing for Hanoi FC in the V-League since last season. Especially since coach Daiki Iwamasa took over, Dinh Hai has regularly played as a defender (a total of 22 matches in the 2023-2024 V-League season). However, that was still not enough for a player who is 25 years old but has very little experience. This inexperience was evident in the tackle where he studs his boot directly into Van Son's ankle, resulting in Dinh Hai's early dismissal.

Hanoi FC lost again.

The use of inexperienced players like Dinh Hai was anticipated by the Hanoi FC management. The important thing is whether the core group of players can carry the team. The defeat against HAGL, an opponent who had lost their last three away games before "marching" to Hang Day Stadium last night, provided a clear answer.

Despite fielding a lineup featuring five AFF Cup 2024 champions – Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Pham Xuan Manh, Nguyen Hai Long, and Pham Tuan Hai – Hanoi FC failed to dominate HAGL, a team struggling in the middle of the table. In fact, the national team players were the reason for their defeat. Duy Manh's clumsy foul in the penalty area resulted in a penalty for the home team. Tuan Hai's penalty kick hitting the crossbar in the 90+11th minute directly deprived Hanoi FC of their last chance to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a point.

The paradox for Hanoi FC is that despite having many players who won the 2024 AFF Cup, Le Duc Tuan's team has lacked cohesion since the domestic football season resumed. Hanoi FC drew 0-0 in 90 minutes and were then eliminated by Dong Thap in the round of 16 of the National Cup. After a 2-0 victory against Da Nang , Hanoi FC returned to a difficult situation with their first home defeat in many years against HAGL.

A tough challenge for coach Le Duc Tuan.

In reality, having many national team players isn't necessarily an advantage for Hanoi FC. Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Hai Long, and Tuan Hai have all trained intensely and played 8 matches in less than a month.

The grueling "mountain climbing" journey in the Southeast Asian tournament has worn down the physical condition of many players. Proof of this is that upon returning from the AFF Cup, the Vietnamese players only performed adequately, or even made mistakes.

Will Hanoi FC make a comeback?

However, Hanoi FC's instability doesn't stem from this factor. Since the beginning of the season, the club hasn't been able to demonstrate the control and dominant attacking philosophy they displayed during their peak period (2016-2022). Coach Le Duc Tuan's personality and coaching methods haven't been effective. While Hanoi FC still strives to control the ball and push forward, the quality and ideas in their play are no longer as abundant as before. A mere 13 goals in 11 matches (an average of 1.18 goals per game), ranking 6th in the V-League, along with only a moderate number of chances created, are issues that the Hanoi FC coaching staff needs to address further.

However, coach Le Duc Tuan cannot be blamed alone. While players like Van Quyet and Hung Dung are nearing the end of their careers, and Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Tuan Hai, and Hai Long are stable but haven't yet broken through, Hanoi FC is experiencing a transitional period. The poor quality of foreign players and the lack of impressive performances from young talents are hindering the capital city team's progress.

Hanoi FC still has time to correct their mistakes, but Van Quyet and his teammates need to act quickly. Coach Le Duc Tuan's anger needs to be "transformed" into an effort to help the team overcome difficulties, instead of just earning a yellow card like in yesterday's match.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-ha-noi-xuong-doc-nhung-nha-vo-dich-aff-cup-nhat-nhoa-185250125153310415.htm