Hà Nội vs Bình Dương in the V.League 1 over the weekend. Bình Dương defeated Hà Nội 2-1. — Photo bongda24h.vn

HÀ NỘI — After a second-place finish to the 2020 season that many at the club considered a failure, Hà Nội FC are bottom of the V.League 1 table after two games and coach Chu Đình Nghiêm fears the capital side may finish closer to relegation than the title.

Hà Nội lost away to Nam Định 3-0 last week and then suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Becamex Bình Dương on Saturday to make for a disastrous start to the campaign.

"My players have worked hard but the results have not been satisfactory. We have a few new players. To play well with the team it takes. Scoring goals to me doesn't matter, it is important to integrate with the team's playing style. Some new players can play individually in their previous team, but at Hà Nội FC they have to play in co-ordination with the team so that takes more time,” said Nghiêm after the loss to Bình Dương.

“After the loss with Nam Định, we set high goals. But the two goals we conceded to Bình Dương were very simple. The team's defence has never been good. We will repair this,” Nghiêm added.

This season, the league will take place with two stages to choose the top six teams to compete for the title and a group of eight teams to battle to avoid relegation.

"When we set a goal that cannot be achieved, I have to be the person in charge. This year's format is very difficult and Hà Nội have to try hard. If we can’t block poor performances like the two past matches, we could absolutely fall into the relegation group. I encourage the players to try to fight until the end of the match. If there is a professional error, I will be responsible,” said Nghiêm.

Meanwhile, coach of Bình Dương, Phan Thanh Hùng was thrilled with his players’ performance away to the favoured Hà Nội.

"It was important that we controlled the hosts. Bình Dương were overwhelmed at first, but fortunately we got the goal to raise our spirits and we took advantage of the opportunities.

"In my mind, a draw was also a good result because the two teams understood each other very well," said Hùng.

In other matches, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai defeated Sông Lam Nghệ An 2-1 on Friday, while on Saturday Bình Định defeated Sài Gòn by a goal to nil and Hải Phòng continued their blistering start to the new season with a 3-2 win over Nam Định. — VNS