Chosen matches

HO CHI MINH CITY FC

0-2 (A) v Than Quang Ninh
14/03/2021

1-0 (H) v Sai Gon FC

19/03/2021

0-3 (A) v H.A. Gia Lai

28/03/2021

TEAM REPORT 2021 SEASON

By Daryl Đào (@dgouilard) & Quân Trần (@QuanTue)
SQUAD INFORMATION
 TEAM INFORMATION
LEAGUE TABLE CURRENT FORM NEXT MATCH

L 0-2 (A) vs Than Quang Ninh

W 1-0 (H) vs Sai Gon FC

L 0-3 (H) vs Ha Noi FC

SONG LAM NGHE AN FC

L 0-3 (A) vs Hoang Anh Gia Lai
ROUND 8

L 1-3 (H) vs Topenland Binh Dinh Thursday, 8 April

• Currently placed 13th out of 14 teams in the V- @ Thống Nhất Stadium
League 1 table
• Only secured 2 wins out of 7 matches and have
not secured any draws up to round 8
• Conceded 12 goals, joint-most in the league
with Thanh Hoa
SQUAD DEPTH LIST
 RECENT LINEUPS
vs H.A.G.L. vs Binh Dinh

11 JOÃ O PAULO 93 JR. BARRIOS

24 LEE NGUYẼ N 11 JOÃ O PAULO

99 DÁ RIO JR. 17 T. PHÔNG 99 DÁ RIO JR. 17 T. PHÔNG

14 V. THUẠ N 7 N. ĐỨC 14 V. THUẠ N 8 T. BÌNH

15 V. ĐỨC 2 T. QUÓ C 16 H. TOÀ N 2 T. QUÓ C

98 N. MƯỜI 20 H. LÂM 7 N. ĐỨC 26 T. TÍN

1 T. THÁ NG 1 T. THÁ NG
TACTICS OVERVIEW
By @QuanTue
IN POSSESSION
 OVERVIEW

• 4-2-3-1 with Lee Nguyen often dropping deep or getting to either half space to create triangles. Striker and both wingers
GENERAL tend to move wide, flexibly switching position.
SHAPE • 2-4-1-3/2-4-3-1 with two FB push up along with CMs. Try to push opposition back to their own half.
• Players stay as close as possible, create triangles to play short pass, quick combination, one two play.
• Lee Nguyen often drops deep to progress the ball, creating more pass options at the back.
BUILD-UP • Two full-backs stay wide but mostly on middle third to help progress the ball, while both wingers stay inside half space to
PLAY stay closer to the goal and help breaking through.
• CB, FB & CM create a triangle to bypass press, sometimes Lee Nguyen or João Paulo would drop back to support.

MOVEMENTS/ • Usually build up from the back, usually the ball is sent to CB or CM Van Thuan. Also, they would use short to average
distance ground pass rather than using long balls.
ROTATIONS • Penetrate from half space, send the ball to Dario Jr., João Paulo and they will try to breakthrough with their dribble or 1-2.
• Have at least 3 players in the box when making crosses.
FINAL THIRD • FBs will try to progress the ball. Push very high to form a triangle , they either dribble, cross and form a triangle.
TRAITS • Both wingers Dario Jr. & João Paulo start out in half space, try to dribble to break the blocks, and attempt to shoot as soon
as they see the space.
• If ST drop deep or move wide, either two wingers would take over his place.
BUILD-UP TENDENCIES
(video link attached to image)

• Lee Nguyen often drops deep to

progress the ball, creating more
pass options at the back.
• Two full-backs stay wide but
mostly on middle third to help
progress the ball, while both
wingers stay inside half space to
stay closer to the goal and help
breaking through.
• CB, FB & CM create a triangle to
bypass press, sometimes Lee
Nguyen or João Paulo would
drop back to support.
COMMON MOVEMENTS/ROTATIONS

(video link attached to image)

• Usually build up from the back,

usually the ball is sent to CB or
CM Van Thuan. Also, they would
use short to average distance
ground pass rather than using
long balls.
• Penetrate from half space, send
the ball to Dario Jr., João Paulo
and they will try to breakthrough
with their dribble or 1-2.
FINAL THIRD TRAITS
(video link attached to image)
• Have at least 3 players in the box
when making crosses.
• FBs will try to progress the ball.
Push very high to form a triangle ,
they either dribble, cross and
form a triangle.
• Both wingers Dario Jr. & João
Paulo start out in half space, try
to dribble to break the blocks,
and attempt to shoot as soon as
they see the space.
• If ST drop deep or move wide,
either two wingers would take
over his place.
OUT OF POSSESSION
 OVERVIEW

• 4-4-2 press with Lee Nguyen staying up front with Junior Barros and two wingers will push up as well to join the press.
PRESSING
• Two CMs stay in the middle, back 4 stay deep to counter long balls.
TENDENCIES
• Ball oriented, try to win the ball back.

HIGH/MID • Front four only start to press when the ball is in middle third.
BLOCK • But the rest of Mf and DF won’t push up as they are occupied by the opposition’s attackers.

• 4-4-2 shape, with Lee Nguyen & Barros staying up front, sometimes they would drop back as well.
LOW BLOCK
• 4 back gather in the box. They can’t really regroup to form a low block, so they gather as many as possible in the box to
SHAPE
block shoots and clear the ball away.

DEFENSIVE • Try to get back the ball as quickly as possible, with the nearest player immediately close down the one who has the ball.
TRANSITIONING • For the counter they quickly send the ball forward. Attackers will split into different lane.
LOW BLOCK SHAPE
(video link attached to image)

• 4-4-2 shape, with Lee Nguyen &

Barros staying up front,
sometimes they would drop back
as well.
• 4 back gather in the box. They
can’t really regroup to form a low
block, so they gather as many as
possible in the box to block
shoots and clear the ball away.
 OVERALL STRENGTHS

1) Able to progress the ball to the final third, at times

bypass the press.
2) Being able to form triangles to perform short pass.
3) Lee Nguyen being crucial to the system, progress
the ball to the final third, creating chances either
with or without the ball.
WEAKNESSES
By @dgouilard
 PROBLEM #1 INCONSISTENT AT
PROGRESSING THE BALL

• Ho Chi Minh City tend to have

many players behind the ball, not
in between the lines.
• Lee Nguyễn usually drops deep
from his position, but nobody
swaps position with him.
• A slight lack of confidence when
passing the ball forward, mainly
because several players are
caught ball-watching.
• Sometimes unable to pick out
better passing options due to not
picking up the position of the
players around the ball carrier.
(video 1) (video 2)
POSSIBLE SOLUTION #1

• Encourage the front three to be in between the lines more often.

• With the ball-side winger stays wide and the lone striker drops deep to
create numerical advantage in between the lines.
• When Lee Nguyễn (or any #10) drops deep, the lone striker moves into his
position while the far side winger tuck inside to make runs in behind.
• Short link up plays should be the preferred way to bypass the mid/low
block but the players should know and anticipate where their teammates
are in the situation.
• Although it takes time for the players to get used to, but encouraging the
players to look for passing options before passing the ball is also a good
solution.
• The players should also know how to orientate their body properly to have
a good look at the play and being able to identify possible passing lanes
around them.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION #2
• Switching the play to the other flank as quick as possible.
• Before switching the play, attempt to gain numerical superiority on the
opposite side of the field, while leaving the far side full-back free to roam.
• The far side full-back will be the main target, with him receiving the ball
and overlap into the final third.
• With numerical superiority inside the area, there will always be a 2v1
situation and a free man to receive the ball.
• Should any of the opposition’s players come out to mark the full-back, a
passing option will be available inside, making it easier to reach the box.
• After passing the ball, the players on the opposite side should be looking to
attack the far post should none of the players on the ball side reach the
box.
• Early crosses or crosses at the edge of the box should be aimed at the far
post in the above situation.
• This tactic should be played quickly, especially when the opposition are
shifting their defensive shape from one side to the other.
• If the tactic fail to be executed, look to pass the ball back and either retry
or use another solution.
PROBLEM #2 LACK OF PLAYERS TO
DEFEND COUNTER-ATTACKS
(video link attached to image)
• By committing too many players
forward to attack, HCMC only have
2CBs rest when the whole team is
attacking.
• The opposition can create a counter-
attack easily due to the lack of
pressure from up front.
• The CBs are usually vulnerable when
defending counter-attacks since they
are caught ball-watching and their
body is oriented towards the ball.
• They also cannot defend runs in
behind due to the mentioned issues.
• A lack of coverage for the defender
involving in the 1v1 situation,
allowing him to be bypassed easily.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION #1

• Apply pressure quickly and aggressively, but avoid fouling.

• Two players should be pressing the ball carrier aggressively, but avoid
fouling them if unnecessary, while the other should block the nearest
passing lane.
• Gaining numerical advantage in front of the ball is necessary since one
defender can close the attacker down, and the other(s) can provide
coverage for him.
• If the opposition play with one striker, two CBs should be enough to
defend, unless both wingers also run forward (both FBs should close them
down while tracking back).
• If the opposition play with two strikers, the far side central midfielder/full-
back can drop back and create a temporary back three, with two players
closing the strikers down and the other covering them.
• The technical side of the player takes time to fix, but they should be aware
of the proper way to shape his body when defending and look for the
attacker’s position.
PROBLEM #3
LOW-BLOCK SHAPE

(video link attached to image)

• Sometimes HCMC is caught having a

disorganised defence due to the
players are caught ball-watching.
• The midfielders sometimes do not
provide enough screening and
coverage for the defenders, leaving
them vulnerable to deal with
attackers in between the line.
• HCMC players leave too many spaces
for the opposition’s players to
operate in, causing them to concede
from long shots or from short link up
plays into the box.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION #1

• Defend with an organised defensive shape, prioritising winning

numerical advantage in between the lines.
• The midfielders can stay closer to the defenders to make the space in
between the lines smaller and non-utilisable for the opposition.
• They can also block long shots by having the defenders staying close to
each other and block runs in behind from the strikers, while also covering
for each other.
• Should the opposition attack from either flank, the midfielders should be
the first to react by closing the ball carrier and the space around him down.
Then the full-back will shift over to mark the winger.
• On the opposite wing, look to create 2v1 situations so the opposition
cannot make runs in behind and encourage early crosses.
• Again, body orientation and scanning are important to maintain an
organised low block, and Vietnamese players should be aware of that.
TAKEAWAYS
 TAKEAWAYS (by @QuanTue)

• Ho Chi Minh FC show clear idea of how they want to play, but the
problem lies on their execution.
• Often they mistime their run or pass, or passes either go too far or
players could not catch the pass due to starting slow. Sometimes
they start slow, so when they could form a triangle, they are already
surrounded by 3-4 players.
• Trouble of breaking low blocks as players being too close to each
other, trouble with final pass and finishing.
• While on defense they are too focused on the ball, sometimes 2-3
players try to get the ball from one. Too many players up front cause
the lack of players while being countered.