Ajax's failure is a lesson for Nam Dinh Club

Nam Dinh has a chance to win the championship for the second time - Photo: Nam Dinh Green Steel .

In the history of world football, there have been many times when teams that seemed certain to win the championship suddenly dropped everything at decisive moments. One of the typical examples is Ajax in the Eredivisie season 2024/25.

Before round 29, the Amsterdam team led the table, 9 points ahead of PSV. Experts and fans at that time were almost certain that Ajax would be crowned champions. However, the unthinkable happened.

From round 30 to 33, Ajax suddenly “ran out of steam” when they only won 2 points after 4 matches (2 draws, 2 losses). The peak of disappointment came in round 33 when Ajax faced Groningen, a team that ran out of motivation and had to play with one less player early on. Despite leading 2-1 until the 90+8 minute, Ajax still let their opponent equalize 2-2 in the last minute of extra time. From the position of number one candidate, Ajax had to watch PSV surpass them and bitterly win the title afterwards.

Ajax's story is a warning to all teams on the brink of glory. Returning to the V.League this season, Nam Dinh are in a similar position. After a devastating 6-1 victory over HAGL in round 23, the team from the South has 48 points, 5 points more than the chasing team Hanoi . There are only 3 rounds left in the V.League and many people believe that coach Vu Hong Viet and his team have one hand on the championship for the second time in history.

However, a gap of 5 points is not safe, especially in a tournament that is always full of surprises like V.League. Although it has the advantage in both points and schedule (only having to face SLNA, Quang Nam and Ha Tinh), Nam Dinh still has to be careful. Because on the other hand, although Hanoi has to face strong teams like CAHN, The Cong Viettel and Binh Dinh, it has stable performance and many individuals know how to shine at the right time.

Nam Dinh leads the rankings - Photo: VPF.

Nam Dinh's next match will be against SLNA, who just won 1-0 against Ha Tinh. This shows that the Nghe An team is not easy to defeat even though they are at the bottom of the table. If Nam Dinh approaches the match with the "upper hand" mentality too early, the possibility of dropping points is entirely possible.

More important is the psychological factor. Once the gap is shortened, the pressure from the media, fans and the team itself will become a burden. Ajax collapsed not because they lacked ability, but because they could no longer keep a cool head at the right time. Nam Dinh need to avoid that mistake.

On the positive side, Nam Dinh still holds the right to decide and has all the elements to be crowned as stable performance, confidence, favorable schedule and balanced force. But football is not mathematics and advantage does not mean the final result.

If they want to be crowned worthy, coach Vu Hong Viet and his team must not only win against their opponents on the field, but also overcome the shadow of expectations that is growing behind them. Any negligence at this time can cost them the efforts of the entire season. Three matches, 270 minutes and courage, that is what Nam Dinh needs to avoid becoming the “V.League version of Ajax” and end the season in the most glorious way.

Source: https://znews.vn/that-bai-cua-ajax-la-bai-hoc-cho-clb-nam-dinh-post1554157.html