Thanh Hóa Coach Announces Sad News Regarding Vietnamese U23 Star

Coach Mai Xuân Hợp candidly shares about Ngọc Mỹ's injury condition after the loss to Viettel, as Thanh Hóa faces significant pressure in the relegation battle.

Following the 0-1 defeat to Viettel, Thanh Hóa Club continues to encounter difficulties in the crucial stage of the season. Despite not securing points, the fighting spirit of the Thanh region's team was acknowledged by Coach Mai Xuân Hợp during the post-match press conference.

The strategist of Thanh Hóa particularly emphasized squad issues, with the case of young forward Ngọc Mỹ (a star of the Vietnamese U23 generation) receiving much attention. According to Mr. Hợp, the injury is preventing this player from reaching his best condition, directly affecting his contributions on the field.

“Ngọc Mỹ is currently injured. Throughout the three weeks of preparation for this critical phase, he was almost unable to train. However, due to the difficult squad situation, we still had to use Mỹ. I had to calculate and arrange him in a way that best suits his physical condition,” Coach Mai Xuân Hợp shared.

He also admitted that despite great effort, in the context of the whole team playing at high intensity, a player not yet at full fitness like Ngọc Mý could hardly create a major impact. This somewhat makes Thanh Hóa's gameplay lack flexibility and effectiveness in decisive moments.

Additionally, when asked about the confrontation with Coach Velizar Popov - who previously coached Thanh Hóa, Mr. Hợp appeared quite calm. He considered this normal in professional football, while also assessing the opponent as slightly superior in squad quality.

“Viettel is slightly better than Thanh Hóa. Coach Popov having worked here is nothing special. The two teams understand each other very well, so the match was tight with few clear opportunities,” he added.

This defeat keeps Thanh Hóa stuck at 11th place on the standings with 16 points. Relegation pressure is increasingly mounting, as the team has not shown clear signs of improvement in form or squad strength in the season's final stretch.