Coach Popov 'rewards' Vietnamese players

On January 26 (27th of Lunar New Year), Thanh Hoa FC entered its vacation. The Thanh team gathered on the morning of the 3rd day of Lunar New Year. They had 5 days off - the longest vacation in recent years. Thanh Hoa was supposed to practice more but coach Velizar Popov changed his mind at the last minute.

Thanh Hoa Club has an extra day off for Tet.

Thanh Hoa FC initially practiced until January 26 and started the new year on the second day of Tet. However, there are many players in the team who live far away, such as Lam Ti Phong, A Mit, Thanh Diep or Thanh Thang. Therefore, the head coach understands that more flexibility is needed. Especially, there are those who have been away from home for 3 months, such as Doan Ngoc Tan. The Vietnamese national team player played 11 matches in the past few weeks.

If the training session is of good quality, Mr. Popov will "give gifts" to the whole team. Finally, the Bulgarian coach decided to extend the vacation to create the most comfortable mentality for his students. On the evening of the 26th of Tet, Thanh Hoa players cleaned up the headquarters early and returned home.

Mr. Popov said: " I know this Tet holiday will be very difficult for us. Thanh Hoa will meet PSM Makasaar in the Southeast Asian Cup. For whatever reason, I have to create conditions for the players to have a vacation with their families. The players and I have a tacit agreement to prepare for this match despite its importance ."

On February 3 (the 6th day of Lunar New Year), Thanh Hoa Club will travel to Indonesia to play the final match in the group stage of the 2024/2025 Southeast Asian Club Cup.

Thanh Hoa is currently ranked 4th in Group A but is only 2 points behind the leader BG Pathum. The Vietnamese representative is unbeaten but has drawn 3 matches. In the final round, they still have the right to decide when they win against PSM Makassar to secure a place in the semi-finals.

If they can do this, Thanh Hoa will have second place in the group and meet the remaining group winner, Hanoi Police Club.

Mai Phuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hlv-popov-thuong-nong-cho-tuyen-thu-viet-nam-ar922780.html