Hagl

French coach Guillaume Graechen has had a strong attachment to Vietnamese youth football since 2007, when he started out with the Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Arsenal JMG Academy. He has experienced all of the ups and downs that come with a training career, but is considered a symbol of HAGL youth football.

Graechen,43, coached the national U19 team in 2014, finishing second in the AFF U19 Youth Championship, which had a strong effect on Vietnamese football.

In 2019 he led the U19 national team to victory in the International U19 Football Tournament, and recently helped the U17 Nutifood HAGL team finish second in the National U17 Championship.

He is expected to continue to unearth and train more talented young players for Vietnamese football in the future. Thanh Nga spoke with him.

NOW & FOREVER: Graechen plans to live in Việt Nam after he retires.

Inner Sanctum : Could you introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to work in Việt Nam?

Before managing I played for Dijon, Angers, Sedan, and Romorantin. At the age of 29, Guillou Jean Marc contacted me through Dufour Vincent, who was my coach and is currently general manager of JMG Football. I accepted the proposal to become project manager in Việt Nam with HAGL.

Inner Sanctum : You train young footballers at HAGL, you led HAGL in V.League 1, and you also coached national junior teams. Could you tell us about these jobs and the pressure that comes with them?

It was an enriching experience professionally and culturally. Trainer and coach are two completely different jobs. Trainers have time to work with players without feeling pressure from results. It’s all about the pleasure of the game. As a U19 national team or V. League 1 coach, the question of time and results leads to more psychological work regarding the players, but the pleasure and the game must remain the same, though this is not always obvious.

EYE TO THE FUTURE: Young players in the first course of the HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy, including Nguyễn Công Phượng and Lương Xuân Trường.

Inner Sanctum : You trained talented young Vietnamese footballers such as Công Phượng, Xuân Trường and Văn Toàn, who are now key players in the national team with success in regional and continental tournaments. How does that make you feel?

I am proud of all of them and wish them all the best in the future. I also don’t forget all the other players I’ve been involved with, because they have all become good people, and this is the most important thing for me. I also had a very good team of staff, with Nguyễn Đức Bảo as translator, teacher, and supervisor, and Dương Minh Ninh and Nguyễn Văn Đàn as assistants. I thank them for their dedication to the HAGL-JMG project.

TEAM TALK: Guillaume Graechen training with the HAGL team. Photos courtesy of Guillaume Graechen

Inner Sanctum : I know you are a very special coach at HAGL, not only training players but also taking care of them like a father. What makes you do that?

First of all, I have a passion for football and I pass that on to the players. When you work with your heart, with humility and with honesty, the players will invest themselves in the process.

Secondly, the job of manager of a JMG academy requires that you organise all the sporting, financial, educational, and medical aspects, so you have to be in contact with players at all times. I always take on the role of “second father” in order to educate the 10 or 12-year-olds who join the academy.

Inner Sanctum : What do you think about HAGL football in particular and Vietnamese football in general?

HAGL has everything needed to succeed, with magnificent infrastructure in an exceptional setting, good players trained at HAGL-JMG and by the club, a real football stadium with no athletics track around it, and a climate in Pleiku that is perfect for playing football.

Vietnamese football is developing, efforts are being made in infrastructure, stadiums are being renovated, and pitches are getting better, though there is still progress to be made. Ground play can’t be developed on poor-quality pitches, and Vietnamese players have the physical characteristics to play short and on the ground with speed.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Graechen and his happy family.

Inner Sanctum : Can you tell us a little bit about your family in Việt Nam? I know your wife is Vietnamese, so do you feel cultural differences in your family?

I have two boys and a girl. Of course, Asian culture is different from European culture, but love is universal.

Inner Sanctum : You have now been in Việt Nam for many years. What are the advantages and disadvantages of working and living here?

In my line of work, only the place where I live changes. The work remains the same.

For family life, there are only advantages. My family travels between France and Việt Nam, and my children have dual nationality and speak both languages. This opens their minds to travel. Việt Nam is my adopted country, and I will retire here, not in France. The only disadvantage is that my parents and sisters are far away. Video calls just can’t replace human contact.

Inner Sanctum : What impresses you most about living in Việt Nam?

The sweetness of life and people sharing and helping each other, which are becoming increasingly rare in France.

Inner Sanctum : What do you often do in your free time?

I spend time with my family, watch a lot of football matches, and enjoy good Vietnamese food. VNS

ON THE WAY UP: The HAGL team featured many players who are now stars of the national team, such as Lương Xuân Trường, Nguyễn Công Phượng, Vũ Văn Thanh, and Nguyễn Văn Toàn.

HÀ NỘI — The enforced rest due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a boon for the country’s two best-supported teams Hà Nội FC and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai ahead of the mid-March restart.

Hà Nội are rooted to the bottom of the table with two losses in two matches, a shock for the five-time champions.

“We did not have a good start with two defeats. We will have to prepare carefully for every coming match and play well because of the tough format of the tournament,” said coach Chu Đình Nghiêm.

“Our target is the top six first, then we could vie for the title in the second period,” he said.

After the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, Nghiêm and his players all tested negative for the coronavirus and returned to training.

They have also welcomed the return of key defenders Trần Đình Trọng and Đỗ Duy Mạnh after recovery from injuries.

“They both can follow the teams’ training plan. It is a good sign for all of us,” Nghiêm told reporters.

He also said that midfielder Moses Oloya who could not play in the previous matches due to a leg injury will be back in action.

Speaking with media, star midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải is excited to play again soon.

“I really hope the pandemic is controlled well for the return of competitions. My club is struggling and under heavy pressure (after losses). We will have to overcome challenges to find ourselves,” he said.

“No one is happy with a loss of course, but we can learn about ourselves from it. We will stand up from where we collapsed and fight back strongly. Nothing could force us to give up our initial target of winning the V.League 1 title and it would be more wonderful if we could conquer the AFC Cup too,” he added.

Hà Nội, which recently extended defender Trần Văn Kiên’s contract to 2023, are now seeking opponents for friendly matches in the coming days.

They will visit Hải Phòng FC at Lạch Tray Stadium on March 13 when the league restarts.

Time for deep understanding

Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamuang of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai believes he understands his players better thanks to the extra preparation time the COVID-19 pause gave them.

“The postponement came reluctantly but personally I think it is good for teams with more time for preparing. I am closer with the players when spending more time with them in both training and daily activities,” he said.

He said the first two rounds of fixtures were like a pre-V.League 1 tournament for teams to test their line-ups, personnel and tactics.

“My players are happy to play again in the next few weeks and grab the best results. We want to take the championship trophy,” said the Thai football legend.

After two matches, Senamuang experienced one win and one loss which put his team in ninth position.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will host Topenland Bình Định on home turf on March 14 and Senamuang hopes to have the stands packed with fans.

In that match, the hosts will face their former striker Rimario Gordon , who failed to score a single goal in 10 matches for HAGL in the 2018 season but netted a solid goal return for Thanh Hóa and Hà Nội before signing a contract with Bình Định this year.

Gordon has scored one goal in two matches this season and is keen to punish his former team.

Speaking about his team’s preparation, Bình Định coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng said: “Following the new schedule, teams must play in tougher time table (three matches in 10 days). It requires strong physique from players, then teams in general and Bình Định, in particular, must have their own plan to make sure players’ best conditions and avoid injuries.”

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will play a friendly match with V.League 2 side People’s Police while Bình Định will play V.League 2 Khánh Hòa in Nha Trang before their match in the Central Highlands’ Pleiku City.

Other matches will be between SHB Đà Nẵng and Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh on March 13, Quảng Ninh and HCM City and Viettel and Becamex Bình Dương on March 14.

The league organisers, the Việt Nam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), has only rescheduled 10 rounds of fixtures for the first half of the league season.

The league will pause again in mid-April when players are summoned for the national teams and some clubs take part in continental competitions.

The season will resume in July and is expected to end in September.

The V.League 2 matches will begin on March 19 while the National Cup will start in April with the exact date being confirmed later.

Local authorities will decide if supporters are allowed to attend matches. — VNS