Hoang Duc showing signs of fatigue

Ninh Binh FC made a dream start to the 2026/27 V-League season, topping the standings after four rounds with three wins and a draw.

However, defeats to Ho Chi Minh City Police FC and, most recently, Hanoi FC have sent the former capital club down to fifth place.

More concerningly, Hoang Duc's below-par performances contributed to both disappointing defeats.

In the first loss, Hoang Duc failed to keep pace with and stop Olaha Manh Duc during a counterattack by Ho Chi Minh City Police FC. The naturalised player subsequently set up Jason Cummings to score.

In the latest defeat to Hanoi FC, both goals conceded by Ninh Binh came from areas of the pitch that Hoang Duc was responsible for covering.

Hai Long easily got past him before providing the assist for Yuval Sade's equaliser, while Aymeric Faurand later scored the winning goal.

A common feature of these incidents was the Vietnam captain's apparent fatigue, which left him unable to challenge opponents with his usual intensity.

As Hoang Duc's performances have declined, Ninh Binh's results have also suffered.

Kim Sang Sik faces a selection headache

Vietnam are expected to announce their squad for the November FIFA international window in the coming days, and Hoang Duc's recent performances are likely to give head coach Kim Sang Sik cause for concern.

With several key players likely to miss the upcoming training camp, Hoang Duc is expected to play a central role in helping the South Korean coach achieve his objectives, both in securing victories and testing different personnel.

The Vietnam captain remains one of the national team's most important players, possessing technical ability and overall quality well above the domestic average.

However, his current physical condition means Kim Sang Sik must carefully manage his workload and exercise caution to avoid further injury-related absences ahead of the Asian Cup.

The challenge for the coach is therefore not simply whether to field Hoang Duc during the November international window.

He must also identify a suitable replacement if the midfielder is unavailable or fails to regain full fitness before the squad assembles.

This is particularly difficult because Hoang Duc has been virtually irreplaceable under Kim Sang Sik.

With Vietnam already facing personnel shortages, the midfielder's physical condition has become another significant concern for the national team coach.

Duy Nguyen