Domestic players are trusted

After the 4-1 victory over HAGL, coach Hoang Anh Tuan of Binh Duong Club said: "I want to create the best conditions for domestic players to perform in this match. For me, Nguyen Tien Linh or Que Ngoc Hai have the same quality as foreign players."

Not only Tien Linh or Que Ngoc Hai, the lineup of Binh Duong Club in the above victory over HAGL was full of domestic players. That was the forward line with 3 people, in addition to Tien Linh playing as center forward, there were also Vi Hao and Viet Cuong playing on the 2 wings. That was left back Nguyen Thanh Kien playing in place of Vo Minh Trong.

Not only that, right winger Ho Tan Tai was assigned by coach Hoang Anh Tuan to play as a center back, replacing foreign player Janclesio. This was a very surprising decision, because the center back and striker positions are positions that many coaches in the V-League prioritize using foreign players. But with coach Hoang Anh Tuan, if in the same position, domestic players can prove that they play at a good level or better, the former coach of the Vietnam U.23 team will choose domestic players.

Currently, coach Hoang Anh Tuan is not the only strategist who is giving priority to domestic players in the domestic arena.

Also in the 6th round of the V-League, Hanoi FC of coach Le Duc Tuan used a striker line consisting entirely of domestic players, similar to the way Binh Duong is using it. This striker line has Nguyen Van Tung playing high up, Pham Tuan Hai and Nguyen Van Truong often appearing on the 2 wings.

Hanoi's starting lineup in the match at Thanh Hoa Stadium in round 6 of V-League only has 1 foreign player, that is central defender Nino Kyle. Even in case central defenders like Thanh Chung and Duy Manh recover from injuries in the near future, Hanoi FC may not need the role of foreign central defender Nino Kyle.

Good signal before AFF Cup

Thanks to coach Le Duc Tuan's trust in domestic players since the beginning of this season, Hai Long and Van Truong have made rapid progress. Van Truong is gradually gaining trust at the national team level, while Hai Long is the second-highest domestic striker in the V-League with 2 goals, behind only Tien Linh and equal to Van Quyet.

Of course, the reason why teams like Binh Duong and Hanoi FC give more space to domestic players has some objective reasons, for example, their foreign players are not too outstanding. Besides, the domestic players of these teams are also of good and fair quality. However, on the other hand, it must be seen that if the coaches do not create conditions for domestic players to play, they will not be able to reach the good and fair level as they are.

Moreover, if foreign players are not outstanding, domestic players can compete fairly with foreign players, then using domestic players in this case brings many benefits, both financially (domestic players often receive much lower salaries than foreign players), and also brings long-term value not only for the club but also for the national team.

Another team that has also prioritized using domestic players recently is The Cong Viettel. In the match against Quang Nam in round 6, at one point in the second half, coach Nguyen Duc Thang withdrew all foreign players from the field and used a lineup consisting entirely of domestic players. This lineup was still enough to create trouble for Quang Nam Club, and The Cong Viettel even almost scored the decisive goal at the end of the match, if Truong Tien Anh's shot had not hit the crossbar.

And above all, as mentioned, the fact that the domestic players have played a lot before the AFF Cup is very beneficial for their performance. The national players have more feeling for the ball and more confidence before returning to the national team, and the promising faces have a chance to show their skills to coach Kim Sang-sik, hoping that the Korean coach will add them to the Vietnamese team for the Southeast Asian tournament.