Nam Định faces a severe shortage of players, almost forcing the goalkeeper to play as a midfielder.

Goalkeeper Nguyên Mạnh disclosed the possibility of having to abandon his goalkeeping duties to play on the field when Nam Định is short of players.

As previously reported, several Nam Định players suddenly experienced health problems just before the match against Đà Nẵng in the 8th round of the V-League. Kyle Hudlin, Romulo, Hồng Duy, Caio Cesar, Percy Tau... were all either ill or had unclear injury issues, preventing them from participating.

Therefore, in the starting lineup, Nam Định only had two foreign players starting from the beginning: Lucas Alves and Brenner, while Romulo was not fully fit and remained on the bench. The Thành Nam team even lacked enough players to register a full squad of 20, having only 11 starters and 7 substitutes. Among these 18 players, there were 3 goalkeepers, with 2 of them on the bench.

After the game, goalkeeper Nguyên Mạnh admitted the difficulties Nam Định faced due to a sudden wave of injuries. The team captain also revealed his willingness to play in a different position if the coaching staff requested it because the team was short of players:

"Before the match started, the team still did not have enough players to register, and the coaching staff discussed that if the team lacked players, I might have to play in another position, while another teammate would take over as goalkeeper. I agreed and was ready to play in that role.

Recently, coach Vũ Hồng Việt has been with Nam Định for a long time and has achieved some titles. The entire team appreciates his efforts. However,football is unpredictable because the team is currently facing many difficulties with its squad. Recently, the team has not performed well and is now striving in every match to get back on track.

Returning to the match, despite changing the coach, Nam Định's performance has not improved much. The Thành Nam team played below their potential against the weaker Đà Nẵng and were behind before managing to secure only a draw at Thiên Trường. This marks the fifth consecutive match that Nam Định has failed to win in the V-League, with 3 losses and 2 draws.