Nguyễn Văn Đàn has been appointed to be head coach of HAGL. Photo zing.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) have appointed assistants Nguyễn Văn Đàn and Dương Minh Ninh as coaches for the rest of the V.League 1 season, replacing South Korean coach Lee Tae-hoon.

Lee will move upstairs to be the technical director of the team.

“HAGL want to refresh ourselves, change the atmosphere and re-establish the familiar play. The aim is to improve results and fulfil the target of staying in the league this year,” said general manager Nguyễn Tấn Anh.

Đàn is also an assistant of South Korean coach Park Hang-seo for the Việt Nam national team and U23 team.

This is the first time the former HAGL player has been appointed to the top position of the team. Appointing Ninh as co-coach aims to reduce the pressure on Đàn, who has been registered with the league as the head coach.

“Đàn was a former player of HAGL, with many years in the Vietnamese national team. He is an assertive person, passionate for HAGL for many years. Besides, Đàn is also a person who understands each player's forte and weakness. He has experience after working with coach Park many times,” said Anh.

Đàn was born in 1976 in Nghệ An Province. His playing career is closely related to HAGL in 1992-2001. He captained the Việt Nam national team under Austrian coach Alfred Riedl in 2005 and started working with coach Park in 2019.

After hanging up his boots in 2009, he started coaching young players of the HAGL-JMG Academy.

HAGL will face HCM City FC tomorrow. Photo zing.vn

Risk of relegation

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic-shorted season, after 13 matches, the league will be split into the top eight teams to vie for the title and the bottom six to avoid relegation. 

After 12 matches, HAGL have 17 points and are seventh. However, there are four teams right behind that can knock them out of the top eight.

Teams like Đà Nẵng (16 points), Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh and Sông Lam Nghệ An (both on 15 points) and Thanh Hóa (14 points) are only one win back.

A win over HCM City FC in the next match at the Pleiku Stadium in Gia Lai Province tomorrow will guarantee HAGL's spot in the top eight.

HCM City will be favourites as they are in third place with 20 points but HAGL haven't lost at home since the beginning of the season. — VNS