Appearing for the first time in the AFC Champions League group stage, Hanoi FC set an ambitious goal. They are determined to get through the group stage, or at least create impressive performances and win at home.
However, what happened in the first 3 matches showed that there is a huge gap between Hanoi FC's dream and the reality they are experiencing. The current V-League runner-up lost 3 matches, scored only 3 goals and conceded 12.
Hanoi FC disappointed in AFC Champions League. (Photo: Hanoi FC)
First of all, it should be emphasized that the representative of Vietnamese football fell into a very difficult group. Pohang Steelers was the runner-up of the AFC Champions League in 2021 and has often been among the top 4 strongest teams in Korea in recent years. Urawa Red Diamonds won the championship in 2022 and is third in the list of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament.
The only team with a name that gives Vietnamese fans the feeling that they "can win" is Wuhan Three Towns (China). However, this team comes from a football background with a higher level than V-League and in reality, they are not much inferior to the two representatives from Korea and Japan.
In terms of strength, it is not surprising that Hanoi FC lost to all three teams mentioned above. The performance of Nguyen Van Quyet and his teammates in the first three matches of the group stage was not good enough, even compared to their best version. The capital team had moments when they did not deserve to lose and created the feeling that they could have done better. That made the fans feel uncomfortable, a bit... resentful.
Hanoi FC seems to have underestimated the AFC Champions League and the team's own strength. The seemingly thorough preparation, calculated from last season, of the capital team turned out to be ineffective. One of the biggest failures in this process was Hanoi FC's belief in "foreign" factors.
Coach Bozidar Bandovic failed to meet the requirements. The Montenegrin coach failed to create an effective playing style for Hanoi FC throughout the entire previous season and the situation did not improve when they entered the Asian arena. The fact that the capital team decided to change the coach when the V-League season had not yet started further proves that the "Bandovic project" calculated from the beginning of the year has completely failed.
Hanoi FC's foreign players are disappointing. (Photo: Hanoi FC)
The disappointment caused by Hanoi FC's foreign players is equally great. The current V-League runner-up is the first Vietnamese club to use up to 6 foreign players - the maximum allowed by AFC regulations. Of course, the foreign players are expected to be the main factor, helping Hanoi FC narrow the gap with strong opponents.
The problem with the quality of foreign players in the capital team is not something that has only been mentioned now. Hanoi FC fans must question the team's scouting and scouting work when recruiting foreign players after the time of Pape Omar Faye, Rimario Gordon, Moses Oloya and Geovane Magno.
In the last 2 seasons, Hanoi FC's foreign players list included Herlison Caion, Milan Jevtovic, Marcao, Mirlan Murzaev, Tonci Mujan, Josip Ivancic, Djuro Zec, Vladimir Siladi, Lucao, William Henrique. Only 3 of them really made an impression: Marcao, Lucao and Herlison Caion.
However, Lucao was pushed out in the middle of last season. Caion and Marcao have clearly declined. At the age of 32, 33, this decline is understandable. Caion is no longer registered to play in the V-League this season.
The new names brought in also left disappointment. Brandon Wilson did not play better than the domestic players and was not on the list of registered players in the domestic arena. Damien Le Tallec started twice, but in both matches he made mistakes leading to goals.
The most promising foreign player of the capital team is Joel Tagueu. This striker was truly a bright spot in the two matches against Pohang Steelers and Urawa Red Diamonds, but he also turned into a "sinner" in the most recent match. Tagueu's red card in the third minute ruined all of Hanoi FC's plans against Wuhan Three Towns.
The poor quality of the foreign players is something that fans can feel even in the statements of the Hanoi FC players themselves. Captain Nguyen Van Quyet said after the loss to Pohang Steelers that the biggest difference that helped Hanoi FC play better was putting quality domestic players on the field.
In that match, coach Bandovic used 5 substitutions to withdraw 4 foreign players in the second half. The Montenegrin coach's decision to put his trust in 6 foreign players, while 3 of them had just arrived a few days ago and had not yet integrated, was also a decision that raised many questions.
Overall, the disappointment from external factors and the performances on the field partly reflected the reason for Hanoi FC's failure. They had calculated to prepare carefully for their first appearance in the AFC Champions League arena. However, Hanoi FC probably did not correctly assess the difficulty of this playground, as well as the quality of the plans to strengthen their strength.
Han Phong
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