Who ruined coach Kiatisak's calculations?

This is the match that both coachesSLNA and HAGLare under considerable pressure after two unsatisfactory opening matches. Even before the match at Vinh Stadium, Coach Kiatisak wrote on social media: "I will have to work harder."

Kiatisak's calculation

Coach Kiatisak's calculation has failed. Photo: VPF

Having faced SLNA at Plei-ku Stadium last season, the Thai coach understands better than anyone why HAGL lost more than won against the Nghe An team. This time, coach Kiatisak made two important changes, using two foreign central defenders Kim Dong-su and Barbosa in a 3-5-2 formation. The next change was that he pulled Cong Phuong down to the midfield area to be responsible for the ball, HAGL only used the speed of Van Thanh, Hong Duy, and Brandao to attack.

Barbosa was positioned on the left with Van Toan and Van Thanh drilling into the right wing occupied by Xuan Manh and Van Duc. The left center-back position of SLNA in the match against T.Binh Dinh was occupied by Khac Luong, when Hoang Van Khanh was injured, Que Ngoc Hai retreated to play in the middle. With this arrangement, Kiatisak hoped to limit the range of activities of the two national players in SLNA's shirt. Although HAGL preferred to play with the ball and attack, they had to accept "choosing their food and fish sauce" in the hope of getting points at Vinh Stadium.

The only foreign player Brandao and Hong Duy will attack on the right flank of the 3-man defense of the Vinh team. The ball will be turned back up for Cong Phuong, Minh Vuong, Xuan Truong to wait, threatening the goal of goalkeeper Van Hoang. But the presence of Oseni, Van Bach and The Nhat has made the calculations of the Thai coach fail. The two national players Xuan Manh and Van Duc have scored, in which midfielder number 20 has left his mark on both goals.

Home team renews squad

Van Bach had a memorable match. Photo: SLNA

Rookie Oseni is the difference maker for SLNA compared to the previous 2 matches. Having just joined SLNA but due to his understanding of V.League, Oseni's ability to sweep and shoot from afar made Kim Dong-su extremely tired. Having played for HAGL, Oseni knew how to put pressure on HAGL's central defenders, in fact, due to worrying about Olaha, Oseni let Xuan Manh slip away in the situation of conceding a goal.

The central midfielder position of SLNA is being exploited by B.Binh Duong and T.Binh Dinh when the person playing with foreign player O'o Jong Mark has not created peace of mind. But this time, the 86 minutes on the field of the 19-year-old midfielder Van Bach is a dream start. Only 1.72kg tall and weighs 66kg, without physical advantages, but this number 29 knows how to read the game, choose an advantageous position to fight for the ball and pass the ball up to Van Duc, Olaha, Oseni.

In his 49th time wearing the SLNA shirt to play in the V.League, 31-year-old midfielder Thế Nhật had a "possessed" afternoon of play. Thế Nhật kept the formation very well with midfielder Quế Ngọc Hải and the two forward players Xuân Mạnh and Văn Đức. With his feet free, Xuân Mạnh often played inside and had powerful long-range shots. The HAGL players could not attack SLNA's left wing like T.Binh Định thanks to coach Huy Hoàng's timely correction.

Thanks to his good reading of the situation, The Nhat successfully blocked Van Toan's attacks, even when Barbosa was pushed up high, The Nhat was still able to neutralize. This explains why when HAGL played "all in", coach Huy Hoang still left The Nhat on the field. Simply, the effective playing style and precise interception of this central defender created peace of mind for the coaching staff and teammates.

In the upcoming match at Thong Nhat Stadium, SLNA players will be cheered on by thousands of Nghe An fans. This is an opportunity for The Nhat, Van Bach and the SLNA team to compete successfully after an impressive debut at the beginning of the season.