Regional flights can be a mixed bag at times, however much they are mainstays of our continental exploits. While we wait to get drawn to our next autumn destination later on this year, for now we would have to make do with those short getaways in ASEAN.
Shopee Cup action returns for the final installment of the Group Stage action, and while our chances to reach the semis are at best an outside long shot, we are afforded the chance of an early tune-up for next season in the early stages of the post-Lestienne era.
We ain’t got no history!
While the provincial club was first founded in 1965, its journey from obscurity only began after the pandemic when Vu Hong Viet ushered in a new era of dominance since a 2008 Cup win. Shedding a reputation of being a yo-yo team across divisions, Nam Dinh will look to cement their dominance and ensure a reliable supply of Asian football for future seasons to come.
Continental Exploits
Tampines Rovers must have hated the sight of them when they let slip a 2 goal lead last season to lose 3-2 in their away fixture. While Nam Dinh play decently against regional rivals, having managed to get results against Bangkok United and Ratchaburi at home, and are notably unbeaten against both of Hong Kong’s finest (Lee Man and Eastern), their limitations can be painfully obvious when the likes of Gamba Osaka, Sanfrecce, Beijing Guoan and Kashima Antlers come to town. This is the step up in quality our Sailors will require when dealing with regional rivals keen to outwit and outlast us.
Home Comforts
Thien Truong Stadium is a typical throwback of late 90s roof-less stadiums that still keep the running track surrounding the pitch. Depending on perspective, the stadium is either in need of a thorough renovation, or it is an antidote to the slick modern stadiums built at great expense across the region by upwardly mobile clubs. Even so, it is a stadium too big for a club of high stature but with low attendances this season even for the big ACL Two matches against Gamba Osaka.
The Man on the Hot Seat
Mauro Jeronimo is supposed to be the hire that is a cut above their championship winner manager Vu Hong Viet and former player Nguyen Trung Kien (both of whom have since been redesignated into backroom roles). The young Portuguese (38) is a quintessential modern style tactician with no playing career to speak of, much like Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas Boas. Having started out as a youth coach with Benfica, his work with the Taiwan U19s was the catalyst for a prolonged stay in Vietnam, working up the leagues towards an eventual stint on the hot seat.
Being familiar with local conditions, but also bringing in a decent amount of overseas work experience, the Portuguese is expected to eventually promote youth players into the main squad while also gaining results with greater resources at his disposal.
Squad Lowdown
Big Shot
Nguyen Xuan Son. The Samba Wizard known as Rafaelson has been a constant scourge for our Lions in the squad. More so when all his 5 goals this season have been scored in the Shopee Cup. Surprisingly though, he has been used rather sparingly outside of this context, Percy Tau and Brenner helming the attack to not much success.
Safe Pair(s) of Hands
There seems to be a clear division of labour, with former NT keeper Tran Nguyen Manh preferred for domestic action and Caique Luiz using his 4 caps with the Brazil U20 to his advantage in continental competition. Tran Liem Dieu has had to bide his time in this instance.
Backend matters
The half-Vietnamese Frenchman Kevin Pham-Ba is the mainstay at right back alongside Tran Van Kien, one of the few players tasked to run the season across all competitions besides Lucao Alves. With Lucao’s fellow Brazilian centreback Walber reserved for continental action, the left back slot also sees keen competition with both Nguyen Van Vi and Nguyen Phong Hong Duy being both capped for Vietnam at various times. Duong Thanh Hao, Dang Van Toi and Ngo Duc Huy can be called from the bench to close off the game
In particular, Kevin offers a stability in defence forged from stints in France’s lower divisions, a semifinals appearance in the Coupe de France with Versailles being his personal highlight. Lucao also brings a wealth of experience from Europe and Arabia, being a Swiss Cup winner with Luzern and also part of faded Bucharest giants Dinamo.
Midway into Midfield
Brazilian duo Romulo and Caio Cesar fulfill the typical role expected of the Brazilians popular in this league, being the key cogs who connect the dots in the middle. Complementing each other with their contrasting styles, Romulo offers a defensive solidity in midfield to allow former Kawasaki and Nagasaki midfielder Caio Cesar to orchestrate attacks in his favoured attacking midfield position. Proving that the foreigners are the ones to beat, both of them have two goals each in the ACL Two behind the irrepressible Brenner Marlos (more on him later)
For this season two of their locals stand out: Lam Ti Phong and Ly Cong Hoang Anh, as they are also entrusted with shouldering various responsibilities in midfield most often across all competitions. More so when their inputs in goal have been helpful in a team which tended to be goal shy this season despite their wealth of talent. Tran Van Dat has also been quite dangerous in midfield when rotated in. It is a testament to how competitive the battle for places is in former Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang Sik’s Vietnam that only two players from Nam Dinh are selected, and none of the trio were in contention at all.
All this means the vastly experienced Nguyen Tuan Anh, To Van Vu and Tran Van Cong have to make do with roles on the bench, while A Mit will be one to watch for the future.
Forward Planning
Former Brighton and Union St-Gilloise star Percy Tau is the headliner, the V.League’s answer to our Maxime Lestienne. As a serial winner of the CAF Champions League with his native Mamelodi Sundowns as well as Al Ahly Cairo, the AFCON bronze medallist has also won the league with Club Brugge. While his performance in the first half of the season has been a mixed bag with no goals to show for, the South African is now joined by fellow Bafana Njabulo Blom. The latter has also been a mainstay with the Kaizer Chiefs before coming over to Vietnam, and is expected to finally pull his weight in midfield.
Brenner Marlos has been a revelation so far, his 5 goals in the ACL Two matching Rafaelson’s output in the Shopee Cup. The temperamental but experienced striker had found the most joy when playing against Ratchaburi (with 2 goals) and Eastern (a hattrick against the badly demoralized Hong Kong side in a 9-0 thrashing) but his performance against the bigger teams have been suspect if he was marked out easily. Having had experience in Asia with Bangkok United and Fagiano Okayama, as well as some Copa Libertadores back in his home continent, Brenner will look to rediscover his prolific form shown at Botafogo while on loan from Internacional.
Kyle Hudlin will look to be a wildcard option in attack, the towering Englishman (all of 2.06m) being a Crouch-like presence up front. Having scored twice in the supercup and once in the ACL Two, the former Newport County striker will look to use his experience from England’s lower leagues to be the difference. Age is on his side as well in a bid to cement a place in the squad and a career in ASEAN football.
Sadly it would be the last in a while before we get to see Nguyen Van Toan (long term injury) or our favourite Mahmoud Eid (released after an indifferent stint), but hopefully not of Tran Ngoc Son who has been consistently good when on loan earlier on and also with the Vietnam U23.
Split Personalities??
Bizarrely, due to special rules restricting all teams to 6 foreigners, albeit with special provisions for clubs in continental competitions, Nam Dinh tend to have separate sets of crew for distinctly different purposes, with a subset of the roster overlapping into duality.
Hence the weird scenario where former youth internationals such as former Ajax leftback Mitchell Dijks and Polish league winner Kristoffer Hansen are signed into short term contracts that covers them for ACL Two action where their expertise is needed the most, while also ensuring that domestic talent doesn’t get crowded out by an influx of high powered foreigners taking up unlimited slots in a free-wheeling capitalist market.
Even so, the lack of any meaningful ACL Two action for the rest of the season has resulted in these top tier signings being redesignated into the Continental Only slots. Notwithstanding the curious case of the Congolese international duo Chadrac Akolo and Arnaud Lusamba, whose European resumes look good on paper but who has not seen any action after being signed midway into the season ostensibly to bolster the ACL Two roster.
With Akolo having featured for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga (while also including 2 separate stints with Sion and St Gallen, and Amiens) and Lusamba boasting Ligue 1 experience with Nice, it seems like Nam Dinh has overstretched themselves in this regard, emblematic of the lack of proper scouting setups across the Vietnam league while at the mercy of agents looking to sell dreams of making it big in Asian football with big promises of starring roles.
Written by Joseph Chin
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