What to expect at Ho Chi Minh City Police Club?
After the golden age of the 80s - 90s with a series of famous names such as Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, Saigon Port, Food Industry, Customs... Ho Chi Minh City football in particular and Southern football in general have been in difficulty for nearly a decade.
The last time a representative of Ho Chi Minh City competed for the championship was in the V-League, when Ho Chi Minh City Club (the predecessor of the current Ho Chi Minh City Police Club) competed for the championship with Hanoi Club, then finished second overall. That was also a rare period when Ho Chi Minh City football found "fire". The team was poured with money, brought in many stars, and the Thong Nhat stadium was full of spectators.
The HCM City Police Club logo is back.
PHOTO: HCM City Police Club
However, like the story of Saigon Xuan Thanh and Navibank Saigon 12 years ago, the joy of Ho Chi Minh City football is often... short-lived. Football teams invest heavily, recruit good players to improve their image, but after only a few seasons when the business leaves, the club falls into a vicious cycle of decline, even disbanding (4 football teams named Saigon have disbanded in the past 20 years). The audience's trust is challenged, Thong Nhat Stadium is cold again, with only a few thousand spectators coming to watch football on weekends.
Even Ho Chi Minh City Club (before changing its name), the last remaining representative, also fell into a "measuring" situation, struggled to compete and did not possess a single national team player.
There was a time when the team nicknamed "Red Battleship" was pumped with money, but it did not create its own identity, only focused on shopping, and then at the end of the season, it had to be torn down and rebuilt.
"Southern football used to have a very strong Saigon Port. They played a gallant, elegant style, passing the ball short and small from the defense and then deploying beautiful gameplay," shared coach Mai Duc Chung of the Vietnam women's team.
Former Ho Chi Minh City players also recall the time when the southern icons "gathered". A former central defender shared: "Every time there was a Ho Chi Minh City derby between Saigon Port, Ho Chi Minh City Police... fans would come a few days early, lining up to fill the road to the stadium. The audience loved the team because they knew the players had the spirit of the South, fighting and dedicating themselves to them".
Ho Chi Minh City Police Club sets high goals
PHOTO: HCM City Police Club
This identity has been faltering for the past two decades, as Ho Chi Minh City football has changed... each season.
Therefore, when the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club returns, it is not simply the return of an icon, but also carries the mission of bringing the beautiful football of the past back to the Southern football fields.
Worth looking forward to
The first step of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club was to appoint Le Huynh Duc as the head coach. As a famous striker of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club in the past, Le Huynh Duc was imbued with the Southern football culture since he was a child, when he and his father (Mr. Le Van Tam, a famous striker of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry Club) played football at Military Zone 7.
Despite his strength and good physique, Le Huynh Duc does not rely on his strength, but plays with technique, directness, neatness and efficiency. Le Huynh Duc is a person who understands the soul of Ho Chi Minh City football, and the former Da Nang coach was brought in to bring back the "essence" of the old Ho Chi Minh City Police Club.
Coach Le Huynh Duc needs time to build a strong team
PHOTO: HCM City Police Club
With a deep force thanks to the addition of a series of new recruits, notably striker Nguyen Tien Linh, foreign player Matheus Felip (valued at 30.5 billion VND), Samuel Bastien, combined with last season's pillars such as goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang, defender Vo Huy Toan, center back Tran Hoang Phuc, midfielder Endrick Santos, Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club has a strong force to build its identity.
However, buying players is not difficult, molding a consistent playing style and philosophy to match the glorious tradition of Ho Chi Minh City football is the difficult thing.
During his time as coach of Da Nang FC, Le Huynh Duc was a "follower" of attacking football. In past friendly matches, this philosophy continued to be demonstrated by the former player, when Ho Chi Minh City Police FC pushed up the pressing formation and coordinated relatively well.
The difficulty for coach Le Huynh Duc is that the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club is still very new, so it needs time to piece together and assemble. "Rome was not built in a day."
Ho Chi Minh City Police Club is a name worth waiting for this season. Let the fire at Thong Nhat Stadium burn brightly again.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-cong-an-tphcm-mang-ban-sac-hao-hoa-cong-hien-tro-lai-v-league-185250810104821561.htm
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