Tiến Linh struggles alongside Ho Chi Minh City Police Club

The heavy defeat against Thanh Hóa in round 17 of V-League 2025/26 exposed the inherent problems of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club. Tiến Linh and his teammates lack stability and face the risk of falling out of the Top 5 race, drifting further away from their medal dream.

The 0-4 loss toThanh Hóaserves as a clear warning for Ho Chi Minh City Police Club's ambitions. When a team dominates possession time, unleashes up to 19 shots but only one hits the target, the issue no longer lies in tactics, but rather in a lack of sharpness and composure in finishing.

Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức did not avoid responsibility. He frankly admitted the failure to improve his players' finishing ability.

But in reality, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club's story is not just about one match; it's about an entire journey of instability since the start of the season.

On the attacking line, the decline ofTiến Linhis evident. The team's top striker and also a pillar of the Vietnam national team is experiencing a worrying streak of goal drought.

When Tiến Linh fails to score, the burden immediately falls on others, especially Khoa Ngô. However, relying on a young player to shoulder the attack for a prolonged period is unrealistic.

The factor expected to make a difference—foreign players—has become a disappointment. Compared to the general standard of V-League, the foreign players ofHo Chi Minh City Police Clubare among the poorest scorers. The player scoring most for the club is Peter with 2 goals, Endrick scored 1, and Utzig has not scored any after 13 matches.

The foreign players lack explosiveness, lack the ability to seize opportunities, and importantly, fail to create sufficient pressure on the opponent's defense. This is precisely why the team, despite controlling the game, still finds itself vulnerable to counterattacks. Tiến Linh, despite his dozen-match drought, remains the team's top scorer with 3 goals, equal to Khoa Ngô and Quốc Cường.

In the defensive line, Patrik Lê Giang maintains stable form with many impressive saves. But even an excellent goalkeeper cannot "carry" both the defensive system and the inefficiency of the attack. When the team concedes 22 goals and scores only 19 after 17 rounds, the imbalance is clearly visible in Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức's team.

Two losses against bottom-group team Thanh Hóa this season have cost Ho Chi Minh City Police Club their advantage to climb up. With 26 points after 17 rounds, Coach Huỳnh Đức's club ranks 5th but is closely pursued from behind.

Hải Phòng FC trails by only 2 points and is gaining momentum after defeating Hanoi FC. In round 18, the two teams will face each head-to-head, and this match could determine the position in the top 5. Given their current form, Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức's team clearly lacks many advantages.

Further ahead, the medal dream also becomes fragile. The gap with the top group is not too large, but the problem is that Ho Chi Minh City Police Club does not show this squad is stable enough to break through. Meanwhile, rivals like Nam Định or Hải Phòng are accelerating strongly, ready to seize the spot at any moment.