Discussing the 'warm-up' performance of the Nghe An football team

In V.League 2023, Song Lam Nghe An is not listed as a championship candidate, and even has to "cut their coat according to their cloth", because their force is not as strong as last season, while other teams have significant reinforcements. Although Song Lam Nghe An has gained experience after a series of stars left, in reality, this season, who will take on the void left by Van Duc is not an easy question to answer.

Drop points at the start

Trong Hoang is an important player in any tactical scheme. Photo: SLFC

Song Lam Nghe An's home match schedule includes 7 matches, against the following opponents: Dong A Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Binh Duong, HAGL, Hong Linh Ha Tinh, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh. Away match includes 6 matches, against Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Cong An Ha Noi, Viettel and Ha Noi. The chance of getting points, even 3 points at Vinh Stadium when facing Binh Duong, HAGL, Hong Linh Ha Tinh, Ho Chi Minh City is quite high.

These are teams that are afraid of the playing style of the Nghe An team, and do not have any outstanding foreign players (except Binh Duong). Round 7 against HAGL and round 8 against Hong Linh Ha Tinh, if they get 6 points, the opportunity to enter group A will open up, otherwise, it is almost impossible because after that, they will meet the championship candidates on away field.

With the current strength, Song Lam Nghe An will hardly get points when playing at Cong An Ha Noi, Viettel, Ha Noi, the chance of getting points at Thanh Hoa and Nam Dinh is 50/50. If the match against Khanh Hoa (round 4) at 19/8 Stadium does not win 3 points, the pressure will be on coach Huy Hoang's shoulders. After this round, V.League 2023 will take a long break for U23 Vietnam to concentrate, if they do not get points against this rookie, the chance of playing in Group B will be significantly higher. According to many people, when Nam Dinh has seen a transformation and is in the top 7, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Da Nang and Song Lam Nghe An will compete directly for the 8th ticket.

As we have analyzed, the late arrival of foreign players leads to a hasty formation of the team, the young players of Song Lam Nghe An will have difficulty when facing teams with quality foreign players, playing hard. For example, facing Binh Dinh with up to 7 foreign players, naturalized players, overseas Vietnamese at the end of the season is never a pleasant thing for any team, let alone the young players of Nghe An.

Pressure on the coaching staff

The match against host Khanh Hoa is an opportunity for SLNA to score points. Photo: SLFC

This is the season where the three warriors Ngoc Hai, Xuan Manh and Trong Hoang play an extremely important role for the Nghe An team. With weaker opponents, Ngoc Hai is allowed to move up higher, which is the new strategy of Song Lam Nghe An this season.

In particular, in our opinion, how the Coaching Board of Song Lam Nghe An uses Trong Hoang is a matter that must be carefully considered. With a history of injuries and the burden of age, Trong Hoang will find it difficult to play all 13 first-leg matches in a short time. In the first 3 matches of the season, having to move widely has made this number 9 no longer sharp in the ball-holding phases that penetrate the center. Currently, the midfield of Song Lam Nghe An does not have any player with the ability to shield and hold the ball well.

That makes Song Lam Nghe An having difficulty deploying the opponent's third of the field even though Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong are not strong teams. The attack line has only scored 2 goals in 3 matches and is identified as the weakness of the Nghe team. Should we deploy Trong Hoang at the beginning of the season to gain points, or should we keep him in key matches?

Besides, Olaha is a question mark after a season considered a failure after returning to Vinh Stadium. The success of the Nigerian striker is to support the defense, while his mark on the attack is far behind that of domestic defenders. Olaha does not have the skills of a striker to score goals, although he has played in the V.League for 4 seasons, his tactical thinking is quite confusing, and his personal technique is mediocre. Many coaches of Song Lam Nghe An use this player to play behind to disrupt the opponent's playing style and Huy Hoang has only "imitated" but has not found a suitable position and whether he will score 5 goals this season or not is something no one is sure.

Striker Soladio scored a goal after a not-so-difficult shot and goalkeeper Van Toan (Hai Phong) made more mistakes than the foreign player shined. The foreign players of the Nghe An team are not highly rated in the V.League and whether they can score 8-9 goals this season is a big question mark.

The pressure is growing on the shoulders of Huy Hoang and the coaching staff, if they don't want to be left behind in this race. Wishing the team their first victory on the field on August 19.