When will Song Lam Nghe An escape the situation of 'only drawing and losing'?

The match in round 8 of V-League 1 2024-2025 at Hoa Xuan Stadium of Song Lam Nghe An against Quang Nam (1-1) is the first away match of this season for the head coach.Phan Nhu ThuatAlthough not achieving the expected satisfactory result, a draw is enough to help the home team escape the bottom, temporarily rising to 12th/14th on the rankings.

We can see some fresh features of the team when Nhu Thuat takes over the team under the condition of "cut your coat according to your cloth", but at the same time it also reveals the risks in the road ahead, if the team's force is not supplemented or replaced.

First of all, Olaha's opening goal in this match was the result of unexpected and unusual combinations, leaving the opponent unable to react... the most commendable point of the team under Phan Nhu Thuat. The skillful backheels, contrary to the opponent's prediction of the foreign pair Olaha and Kuku, the excellent running and back pass of the ball carrier Xuan Tien, the neat left-footed finish of Olaha were truly the 10 points of the good coordination of the brightest trio on the attack line of Song Lam Nghe An at present. In the first half, Song Lam Nghe An played short balls quite well many times, quickly changing the state, but unfortunately only one time was successful.

But like previous confrontations, Quang Nam often "relies" on the majority of foreign players, in the first half they exhausted the young team of Song Lam Nghe An, in the second half they sent more foreign players onto the field and finished off the opponent. This time, when Quang Nam was behind and VAR kept saying no to penalties, the 3 foreign players of the home team finally found an equalizer in the middle of the second half even though head coach Van Sy Son was given a red card and forced to leave the technical area and sit in the stands.

Quang Nam's equalizer in round 8 and Quy Nhon Binh Dinh's 2 equalizers in round 6 both had the same "script" and both proved that Song Lam Nghe An's defense is currently not strong enough to keep the home team's results. Of course, talking about defense here does not only refer to the 3 central defenders but also the 5-man midfield that did not do a good job of defending from a distance. For example, the defensive players could not keep up with Phan Thanh Hau when this skillful midfielder passed the ball very dangerously from the wings, including a pass like a set-up for Samson to block and create a wall for Costa to score a valuable goal in the above match.

It is also worth mentioning that, with opponents of equal weight and weight such as SHB Da Nang, Quy Nhon Binh Dinh or Quang Nam, despite changing the coach and having some improvement, Song Lam Nghe An is still powerless in finding and maintaining a win when there were at least 2 clear opportunities, even on the away field. Obviously, the injuries are not stable, so Van Cuong or Nam Hai have not shown the strength they used to have, Nam Hai even made serious mistakes in defense, while Ba Quyen or Van Dai have not returned yet.

Song Lam Nghe An does not buy overseas Vietnamese players, does not have naturalized players, and does not have foreign players as substitutes for the foreign trio Olaha, Kuku and Zaracho, so their overall strength cannot be compared to other V-League teams. Facing opponents at the bottom of the rankings is difficult like that, so in the upcoming rounds when facing teams like Hanoi FC, The Cong Viettel or Cong An Hanoi, how will coach Phan Nhu Thuat manage to find a lucky draw, while it is very difficult to dream of a win, even though football is full of surprises!

Remember the matches against strong teams like Nam Dinh Steel Blue (1-4), Dong A Thanh Hoa (0-1) to see, the young team of Song Lam and the foreign players running at full capacity are actually very easy opponents, easy to score points against teams with big investments and high ambitions.

It is also to say that, if there is no adjustment, no investment more or less when the painful reality requires, the journey of "only draws and losses" of Song Lam Nghe An will continue to drag on in the fatigue and pressure of the coaching staff and players, in the disappointment of experts and fans. The coaching staff and players have tried very hard, are very receptive but the results are still very limited as seen, meaning that the "ball" is in the feet of the current leaders - investors.