Although he is a key striker in the Vietnam national team, Nguyen Tien Linh no longer has an “untouchable” position in B. Binh Duong, after coach Le Huynh Duc took over the team in the middle of the 2023 season. He often has to be on the bench. , was even repeatedly criticized by Mr. Duc for being physically weak and not having enough strength to play the entire match.
Last season, Tien Linh only scored 3 goals in V.League. This season, things are not any brighter, causing him to continue to be friends with the bench or be replaced in the middle of the second half if he starts.
Striker Nguyen Tien Linh. Photo: Binh Duong FC.
As a guest at Khanh Hoa Stadium in round 5 of V.League 2023/2024 on December 11, Tien Linh also sat on the bench, and could only enter the field from the 64th minute to replace striker Ibara Vinny. But he quickly made a difference when he scored the opening goal in the 74th minute, before assisting Bui Vi Hao to seal a 2-0 victory in the 90th minute.
Coach Le Huynh Duc was satisfied, but not surprised with Tien Linh’s brilliance. He said: “I anticipated that the foreign soldiers would lose their physical strength, so I left Tien Linh in reserve and only deployed at the right time to help him regain his form. In fact, Tien Linh did exactly what he intended. The first goal in V.League 2023/2024 will help Tien Linh gain more confidence for the matches ahead.”
However, according to coach Le Huynh Duc, B.Binh Duong needs to learn from last season, when they lacked focus and fell into the bottom group of the table and only survived relegation in the last match. He emphasized: “We will carefully consider each match, determining that each match is a final. Therefore, the team cannot be subjective or hastily rejoice in the current achievements. The team will accumulate each score, especially first. strong teams like Nam Dinh Green Steel and Dong A Thanh Hoa to soon have a safe position.”
