A turning point for Huu Thang
Before entering the match against Da Nang in round 21 of V.League 2024-2025, midfielder Nguyen Huu Thang received the award for Best Scorer in April. In addition to the super goal against Quang Nam made from midfield, the Hue-born player also scored 2 more goals against Hong Linh Ha Tinh and Song Lam Nghe An. This number helps him balance with the total number of goals scored in... 4 consecutive V.League seasons before.
But that is not all of Huu Thang's marks in this year's season. The match against Da Nang - under the leadership of new coach Velizar Popov - could create an important turning point in the career of the midfielder born in 2000. In his first match in charge at The Cong Viettel, Mr. Popov immediately put Huu Thang in the starting lineup. Remember, in the previous 14 appearances, Thang "Hue" only started 3 times.
Not only giving Huu Thang the opportunity to play from the start, Mr. Popov also helps this player gain greater influence and the freedom to express his qualities on the field. With 2 goals against Da Nang in the 12th and 20th minutes, Huu Thang rushed into Da Nang's defense area like a "name-breaking" wind.
In addition to his strength in attacking ability, Huu Thang also contributed to The Cong Viettel's 4th goal with an assist. From midfield, he skillfully handled the situation around Da Nang players, before making a weak shot for his teammates to escape and coordinate to score.
Outside the touchline, coach Popov shook hands with satisfaction. The trust he had in Huu Thang initially brought results.
I have known Huu Thang since 2019 when he was leading U23 Myanmar, at that time he played for U23 Vietnam. When I took Thanh Hoa, I really wanted to buy Huu Thang, but of course The Cong Viettel Club did not agree" - Mr. Popov suggested that he wanted to promote Huu Thang's talent.
Van Khang, Tuan Tai are trusted
Besides Huu Thang, two other products of The Cong Viettel training center, Khuat Van Khang and Phan Tuan Tai, are also on the development scope of coach Popov. But like their seniors, Van Khang and Tuan Tai's bodies are quite "thin". This has more or less affected the ability to compete, endurance and fitness of the two players who tend to move on the left wing.
The clearest proof is that in this year's season, Van Khang, although playing in all 21 matches in the V.League, has been substituted 12 times. Meanwhile, Phan Tuan Tai has only started 14/16 times in the squad of The Cong Viettel this season. In 5 of the 14 matches mentioned above, the Dak Lak defender left the field when he could not maintain his physical foundation.
With what he has done in Thanh Hoa when turning a series of players into stronger players thanks to the "fitness recharge" curriculum, Mr. Popov is trusted by The Cong Viettel fans to improve the physical foundation of Tuan Tai and Van Khang.
In fact, in his first match in charge of the new team, the Bulgarian strategist let Tuan Tai play the whole match. He observed meticulously the defender's movement, competition, attack and distribution of strength. Based on his performance against Da Nang, combined with statistics on physical fitness, Tuan Tai may be disciplined and improve his fitness by Mr. Popov in the coming time.
Similarly, Khuat Van Khang. As a left-sided attacking midfielder, he was also verified by Mr. Popov through situations of moving without the ball, increasing his speed to approach the penalty area. From the number of short accelerations into the opponent's half, the new coach of The Cong Viettel will have more basis to train the striker born in 2003.
Huu Thang, Tuan Tai and Van Khang are all quality products that The Cong Viettel trains. However, to make them truly a prominent name in the squad as well as create a stronger mark in the Vietnam National Team, their physical strength and tactics need to be improved. And coach Popov will be the one to carry out this important task.
