The fierce relegation battle in V-League with coach Tran Tien Dai

The decision to part ways with coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and appoint Tran Tien Dai as the interim head coach of PVF CAND shows the club is entering a major gamble in the relegation fight..

In the intense race at the bottom of the V.League standings, sometimes even a single personnel decision can change the course of the entire season.

PVF CAND has just made such a move by parting with coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and bringing in Tran Tien Dai to temporarily oversee the team's technical operations.

The arrival of the man once considered the "super agent" of Vietnamese football, along with the potential addition of a foreign coach forPVF CANDmakes the situation in the bottom group of V-League 2025/26 more heated than ever.

This is not merely a change on the coaching bench. It resembles a declaration that PVF CAND will not accept surrender in its first V-League season.

After 15 rounds, PVF CAND has only 11 points and is at the bottom of the table. This performance forced the club's leadership to act swiftly.Coach Nguyen Thanh Congonly led the team for a mere 4 matches before deciding to resign along with his assistants.

Two victories, including a win over HAGL in the National Cup and a win against Becamex TP.HCM in V-League, were insufficient to salvage the situation as PVF CAND lost three more matches and fell to the bottom. But notably, the person replacing coach Nguyen Thanh Cong has an even more "special" profile.

In V-League history, the name Tran Tien Dai is associated with many vibrant periods of Vietnamese football. He has coached teams like Sai Gon Xuan Thanh and Hanoi Police, possesses several National Championship Cups and National Cups, and is famous for his role as a player agent, where he earned the nickname "super agent".

Many quality foreign players have landed inV-Leaguethrough Mr. Dai's extensive network of connections. Even in the journey helping Hanoi Police win V-League 2023, his imprint on building the squad was very clear.

Compared to coach Nguyen Thanh Cong, seen as a familiar "firefighter specialist" of V-League, Tran Tien Dai's profile and influence are broader in many aspects.

That makes his arrival at PVF CAND viewed as a "doping dose" of experience.

Instead of letting "boss" Dai take direct long-term control, the club is considering appointing a foreign coach. The name mentioned most is Gerard Albadalejo.

If this deal succeeds, PVF CAND will have a fairly clear model. That is a foreign coach handling tactics while Mr. Tran Tien Dai holds the Technical Director role to manage technical aspects and build the squad.

PVF CAND is not the only team struggling in the bottom group. The relegation battle this season is becoming extremely tense.

In the danger zone, SHB Da Nang is showing signs of revival by earning 4 points in the last two matches. The Han River team currently has 11 points and ranks 13th, trailing Hoang Anh Gia Lai by only three points but with one match still pending.

That makes the clash between these two teams this week take the shape of an "early final." SHB Da Nang clearly wants to repay the debt of a minimal loss in the first leg, while HAGL is struggling after Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh moved to Ninh Binh.

In another development, Nam Dinh FC also has an opportunity to break away when hosting Thanh Hoa FC at Thiên Trường Stadium. The form of the Nam city team is showing signs of revival, especially when striker Xuan Son is eager to score before joining the Vietnam national team squad.

If Xuan Son continues his knack for scoring at home, Thanh Hoa could very well remain stagnant.

Becamex TP.HCM also faces an opportunity to accumulate points when hosting Hong Linh Ha Tinh. With 15 points, the team under Technical Director Dang Tran Chinh is not truly safe.

All these developments show a reality about this season's V.League: it is not only exciting in the championship race but also extremely fierce in the relegation group.

PVF CAND's acquisition of Mr. Dai could become an interesting variable in the remainder. Understanding V-League could become a valuable weapon for PVF CAND to perform a "late comeback."