The right to self-determination in hand
"We are champions, that's not possible. If we are running like that, why do we need to replace them? To make football beautiful, football needs to be beautiful", coach Thach Bao Khanh (PVF-CAND) shouted loudly towards Phu Dong Ninh Binh cabin - in the match of round 18 of the National First Division.
In theory, Ninh Binh has not won the First Division and is not sure to be promoted to the V.League next season. But with a series of 15 wins and 1 draw after 16 matches, coach Nguyen Viet Thang and his team have many advantages to complete their tasks.
With a gap of up to 6 points and playing 1 match less than the second-placed team Binh Phuoc, Ninh Binh will be crowned 2 rounds early if they have 4 points against Tre Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai. This is almost within reach of Hoang Duc and his teammates.
In fact, from this point on, as Mr. Thach Bao Khanh emphasized, all First Division teams will soon admit the direct promotion ticket for Phu Dong Ninh Binh.
At the beginning of the season, the ancient capital team had a superior force compared to the First Division. Throughout 16 matches, they are still unbeaten, scoring the most goals (36 goals) and conceding the least goals (2 goals) in the tournament.
For that reason, the experts are more interested in Ninh Binh's position and ambition than the result story - which was determined by winning from round to round. Of course, the majority of fans can hardly accept a club with superior class in the First Division like Ninh Binh choosing a practical playing style to find a way to preserve their points.
For his part, coach Nguyen Viet Thang expressed: "I want to get 3 points. Ninh Binh's goal is to preserve the score. We can play ugly. The players followed the correct tactics and achieved the set goals"
The problem if they are promoted to V.League
Phu Dong Ninh Binh may have a force that is superior to the majority in the First Division, but the current squad depth is not guaranteed.
Right before the effectively criticized match against PVF-CAND, Ninh Binh was held to a draw by the weakest opponent of the tournament - Hoa Binh. Remember, this is also the first time this season that coach Nguyen Viet Thang and his team have not had 3 full points. A seemingly small stumble also made the team's spirit waver.
The pressure now on Ninh Binh does not stop at the story of being promoted to V.League. That is also a question mark of their ambition in the coming season. The current force can help Ninh Binh "play wherever they want" in the First Division, but at the V.League level, it is not easy for them to create a bounce.
It should be emphasized that in the 2023-2024 First Division, Da Nang also showed an outstanding performance compared to the rest. But as soon as they returned to V.League, the Han River team continuously failed and had to compete fiercely for relegation.
The story is similar to Quang Nam. The Quang team went to play in the 2023-2024 V.League after playing impressively in the 2023 First Division, but then had to endure to finish the season in 11th place.
This is completely possible for Ninh Binh, if they only have a mid-range force compared to the current V.League level. The loss to Binh Duong in the National Cup 2 months ago was even clearer proof of that.
If they want to create a boost like the Hanoi Police who immediately won the championship right after being promoted, Ninh Binh probably needs to upgrade the squad to a higher version.
Rumors about the ancient capital team adding 10-15 stars, including many Vietnamese players, when promoted to V.League are not necessarily unfounded...
