CLB CATP.HCM's Decline: When Ambition Turns into Pressure

From a position that could contend for medals, CLB CATP.HCM is sliding down with a worrying streak of poor form. The 0-3 home defeat against CAHN last week served as another alarm for coach Lê Huỳnh Đức and his team.

Three consecutive losses, conceding 10 goals without scoring any, that is the streak that has plunged CATP.HCM into a real crisis. The 0-3 loss to CAHN at Bình Dương Stadium was not merely a slip-up, but the consequence of accumulated issues since the start of the season. As the final stretch approaches, inherent weaknesses have been exposed clearly, leaving the team unable to conceal them.

After the match, coach Lê Huỳnh Đức candidly acknowledged the undesirable outcome. This former national team player admitted that despite preparation time, there were clearly unresolved problems. Coach Đức himself must take responsibility as the team has lacked a proper target striker since the season began.

Those statements by coach Lê Huỳnh Đức were not just apologies; they accurately reflect the team's fatal flaw—the absence of a sharp enough center forward to decide matches.

In the attack, Nguyễn Tiến Linh's image symbolizes the stagnation. 16 consecutive matches without a goal over half a year is a heavy burden for a striker who was once a pillar of the Vietnamese national team. The club struggled to build a playstyle around the former Becamex Bình Dương forward but is now stuck because they don't know who to replace him with.

Tiến Linh himself is the national team's third-highest scorer with 26 goals, just one behind Lê Huỳnh Đức, but his prolonged slump even led coach Kim Sang Sik to exclude him from his squad last month.

Against CAHN, Tiến Linh had a chance with a header that hit the crossbar, but luck did not favor the 29-year-old player. However, the issue is not entirely with Tiến Linh individually. When the system lacks creativity, the midfield lacks sharpness, and the wings lack breakthroughs, this striker's "dry spell" is an inevitable consequence.

Foreign players, expected to make a difference, have also disappointed. Out of 19 goals scored by the club in 19 matches, foreigners have only managed 3. Midfielder Peter scoring 2 goals is the most notable, while Malaysian national team player Endrick contributed only 1.

That statistic might shock many. Midfielder Khoa Ngô, added mid-season, has already matched the goal tally of all foreign players this season. But Khoa Ngô cannot "carry" the attack as he is also showing signs of being figured out. Lee Williams, after scoring 2 goals, has had no further joy for 8 consecutive matches.

The image of CATP.HCM's attack against CAHN in the recent match partly reflects the current situation of both clubs. The bright spot for CAHN lately is Đình Bắc's high form. The 22-year-old striker scored 4 goals in just the last 3 matches and has surpassed Tiến Linh in the domestic top scorer list this season.

Đình Bắc's confidence, energy, and ability to seize opportunities are a complete contrast to Tiến Linh's heaviness. Although CAHN recently lost the reigning V-League top scorer Alan (who also leads this season's scoring list with 14 goals), CAHN has Đình Bắc as a fitting replacement.

The gap between the two clubs is now 22 points with 7 rounds remaining. That is not just a statistic; it reflects two opposite development paths. CAHN has clear planning and a balanced squad. Meanwhile, CATP.HCM struggles solely because of the striker issue.

Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức also acknowledged the psychological problem: "After defeats, players lose confidence." But in the context of a tough upcoming schedule with strong opponents like Hanoi FC, Thể Công Viettel, or Ninh Bình, this puzzle is not easy to solve.

Pressure thus weighs heavily on the coaching staff. In professional football, results are the ultimate measure. If improvement does not come soon, not only will medal hopes vanish, but the head coach's seat will also be hard to secure.

Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức understands that his team fell into a crisis spiral within just three losses. The remaining seven matches are a test of his leadership ability. CATP.HCM can hardly dream of medals, but at least they must have hope to rebuild in the near future.