The reigning champion's caution
During the Nam Dinh club's debut, coach Vu Hong Viet was cautious when mentioning the 2024-2025 V.League championship race: "Winning the V.League championship is difficult, but defending the championship is even more difficult. This season, Nam Dinh's opponents have significantly increased their squad, they have prepared very well from the recruitment stage. I think the clubs that will compete with Nam Dinh are Hanoi Police, Hanoi FC and Binh Duong".
Coach Vu Hong Viet's caution is not unnecessary. Looking at the V.League transfer market before the season, many teams have recruited personnel vigorously, ready to compete fairly with Nam Dinh.
In addition to inviting coach Hoang Anh Tuan, Binh Duong Club also actively brought in many national and young players. The appearance of Ho Tan Tai and Ngo Tung Quoc turned Binh Duong into a team with a top-class defense in V.League. Not to mention Tien Linh and Que Ngoc Hai also achieved high status and form before the season started.
The championship race is hot
After an unsuccessful season in many aspects, Hanoi Police Club is ready to reclaim the throne from Nam Dinh. Many experts and fans believe that coach Mano Polking's team has had a successful shopping period, bringing in quality contracts.
The defense, which was the “deadly weakness” of the previous season, has been filled by Hanoi Police with the appearance of central defender Tran Dinh Trong and left-back Jason Pendant Quang Vinh. Meanwhile, in the attack, the additions from foreign players or the position of Dinh Bac also help the police team confidently head towards the championship race.
It would be remiss not to mention Hanoi FC. Even though they have been on the losing side in the past two seasons, the capital team is still considered a championship candidate. The Hang Day team does not recruit high-quality domestic players like many other opponents. However, in return, they have quietly brought in some expensive foreign players to serve the attacking front this season.
We can mention Chidi Kwem - a Nigerian foreign player who is currently the most expensive player in V.League, Joao Pedro - a Portuguese player with a height of 1m90, or Veendorp - a midfielder who used to play football in the Netherlands. These are all brand new faces in V.League and obviously, these unknowns will create excitement for Hanoi FC in the upcoming season.
According to coach Vu Hong Viet, the presence of Caio Cesar - a Brazilian central midfielder will help Nam Dinh overcome a weakness related to defense. It should be added that, although the team from Thanh Nam won the championship last season, it was among the teams that conceded the most goals. Therefore, focusing on defense with the presence of central defenders Lucas, Walber, Joseph Mpande or midfielder Caio Cesar will help make the "wall" of Thanh Nam more solid.
