When the analysis is empty: V.League and the data puzzle

Hook: I received an analysis document supposedly for a V.League match. When I opened it, every cell said “N/A – insufficient information.” Not a single number, no diagram, no observation. Perhaps it was a technical glitch, but it reminded me of my early days standing in the stands of Mitsuzawa Stadium in 2026, hand-drawing pressing formations because there was no data available. Back then, I had no pass statistics, no xG, not even anyone recording the number of presses. I only had my eyes and a notebook. Today, an analysis system expected to give me all the answers returns emptiness. Context: Vietnamese football is transforming strongly. V.League has become more professional, clubs have better resources, and fans increasingly care about tactics. But I notice a paradox: while European clubs and even Japanese teams use data to optimize every move, in Vietnam, many teams still rely on coaches’ intuition or personal experience. Press conferences rarely mention advanced metrics; media analyses remain emotional. This is something I – having spent 51 years observing football worldwide – find regrettable. That empty analysis is not an exception. It is a metaphor for how many V.League teams operate: lacking data, lacking systematization, and therefore lacking the ability to accurately assess reality. Core: An analysis system without input data cannot produce conclusions. That is obvious. But what is interesting is that the emptiness itself reflects a deeper reality of Vietnamese football. When I watch V.League matches, I see many teams pressing relentlessly, but no one measures its effectiveness. I see beautiful wing attacks, but no one tracks the frequency or the space created. Coaches can say their team controls the game, but what is control? Possession percentage? Pass numbers? Or the ability to create scoring chances? Without data, every judgment is just opinion. In an article of mine about J.League in 2026, I demonstrated that xG needs to be combined with “starting position of attacks” to be meaningful. But if you don't have the data to calculate xG, how can such analyses exist? I remember the match Kawasaki Frontale vs Urawa Reds 4-3, where Kawasaki's xG was only 2.8 but they won thanks to three long-range shots outside the box. If you only looked at xG, you'd think they were lucky. But when I combined it with data on the opponent's defensive positioning, I saw that Urawa left too much space in front of the box. This shows the importance of collecting data not just as dry numbers, but as a way to understand tactical intentions. In V.League, some clubs like Công an Hà Nội or Hà Nội FC have their own data analysis departments, but most are still quite rudimentary. Matches rarely have detailed stats released to the press. Even basic metrics like accurate passes are not publicly available. In that context, analysts like me must dig through videos, but that is time-consuming and less accurate than data recorded directly by tracking systems. I recall a time in 2026 when the season was paused due to COVID-19. I analyzed audio of a coach's instructions to understand how he controlled the tempo. I wrote a piece about listening to a match through your ears. But with player tracking data, I could know exactly the average position of the team, total distance covered, and reaction speed. All of these contribute to a fuller picture that, if missing, makes any analysis only a partial truth. Contrarian: There is a popular view that data is not necessary in a league of V.League's level, where physicality and individual inspiration often decide results. Some argue that applying complex data models is a waste of time and money because players' technical level is not high enough to meet strict tactical demands. But I believe this view confuses “unnecessary” with “incapable.” Vietnamese football has made great strides by learning from developed football nations. Without data analysis, how do we know where young talents like Nguyễn Quang Hải or Nguyễn Công Phương can develop? How do we evaluate the effectiveness of the pressing style that coach Park Hang-seo applied to the national team? In fact, the lack of data makes player selection decisions ambiguous. Scouts must rely on instincts and some physical metrics, rather than numbers about game-reading ability, positioning, or passing efficiency. This leads to missing talents who may not stand out physically but are very smart on the pitch. The emptiness of data is holding back V.League's tactical development. Takeaway: I look at the analysis full of “N/A” and ask myself: when will Vietnamese football have robust data systems so no one has to say “insufficient information”? Then those working in football will face a new challenge: how to turn numbers into correct decisions on the pitch. That will be much harder than collecting data. But at least it will be a valuable step forward.