'Taking the pulse' to diagnose 'disease' of Song Lam Nghe An

AT• May 6, 2019 22:35

(Baonghean.vn) - In two consecutive matches against Nam Dinh, Viettel and SLNA's strikers were silent and the match ended with a score of 0-0. What is happening to the Nghe An team?

To be exact, SLNA's strikers failed to score in 4 matches, but clearly the 2 matches against the home team Than Quang Ninh and Hanoi did not leave as much worry and regret as the last 180 minutes. Simply, these are opponents who are considered to be stronger than SLNA, unlike Nam Dinh and Viettel.

Not much lineup shakeup

First, regarding the lineup, coach Duc Thang basically did not make many changes. Compared to the match at Vinh Stadium, the match against Viettel saw Alves Santos replace Phuc Tinh in the role of striker, and Ngoc Toan replace The Cuong as winger. SLNA's substitutions this season were not very sudden, mainly replacing players who were injured or had reduced physical strength.

Olaha, the player considered the most important of SLNA at this time, has been exposed. Photo: Duc Anh

If at Vinh Stadium, player Ngoc Toan replaced Phuc Tinh, midfielder Manh Dung replaced Van Binh, Ho Sy Sam replaced The Cuong, then in the following match at Hang Day Stadium, it was Cao Xuan Thang's turn to replace Alves Santos, Le The Cuong replaced Vo Ngoc Toan, Le Manh Dung replaced Quang Tinh. Almost all coaches facing SLNA calculated the substitution plan of the Nghe An team.

Accordingly, if the central midfielders Van Binh and Khac Ngoc have someone whose fitness is reduced, Manh Dung or Ngoc Toan, Sy Sam will be allowed to enter the field. The two wings Quang Tinh, The Ngoc, Ngoc Toan will take turns entering the field. If Olaha is closely guarded, Khac Ngoc will be pushed higher than usual to play as an attacking midfielder, sharing the goal-scoring duties. Period.

Surprisingly, SLNA midfielders all have similar playing skills, so opponents do not have any difficulty when the Nghe An team makes substitutions. SLNA players rarely have unique moves such as jerks, heels, etc. If anything, Van Binh has a strong tackle, Khac Ngoc occasionally has a surprising pass. Rarely do we see unique and strange moves like Phan Thanh Tuan, Nhu Thuat, or Phi Son's trademark shakes.

Tran Dinh Dong's hook kick in SLNA shirt. Photo: Archive.

In our opinion, SLNA has a fairly stable defense, Dinh Dong and Dinh Hoang are players who play tight and have the ability to attack. However, the attacking form of Dinh Dong and Dinh Hoang depends a lot on the midfielder on the same wing, when the teammates play cover, the defenders will play more freely. On Hang Day Stadium, when Quang Tinh is willing to retreat to defend, Dinh Hoang plays more sharply, the pass to Alves Santos is the most specific image.

The attack was caught.

Contrary to some people's opinion, it was not until Alves Santos missed a golden opportunity more than 2m from Viettel's goal that we underestimated the professional ability of this foreign player. Alves Santos's ability to receive the ball in the first step was quite poor, which was the reason why opposing defenders easily neutralized this striker.

Midfielder Ho Khac Ngoc is the most valuable player in the current SLNA squad. Photo: SLNAFC

The physical strength of the central midfielder pair Van Binh and Khac Ngoc has clearly declined. Although they are top-class midfielders, the constant playing and contact with foreign players has overloaded both players, making their passes lack fluidity. If they do not rest, the possibility of Van Binh and Khac Ngoc getting injured will be very high, especially when facing Hai Phong, famous for "bad pitch, rough football".

Olaha, the player considered the most important of SLNA at this time, was caught. On Vinh field, coach Van Sy instructed the naturalized player to wait patiently for Olaha to start accelerating and then nudge him, causing this number 7 to lose balance and be unable to control the ball. Basically, Nam Dinh and Viettel had ways to counter this foreign player.

The ball is at the feet of the coaching staff.

SLNA's next opponents are Hai Phong and S.Khanh Hoa, both of which are not too strong but are hungry for points. In this situation, it is difficult for the opponent to "scoop SLNA's goal", but SLNA now also finds it difficult to score against teams that play low defense with a large number of players on their home field.

“Quả bóng” đang nằm ở chân BHL SLNA (ảnh CLB)

The "ball" is at the feet of SLNA's coaching staff. Club photo

The Nghe An team's forte is defensive counter-attacking, a style of play based on physical strength and speed, easily scoring against HAGL and SHB.Da Nang, but "difficult" when facing Nam Dinh's style of play. But in football, you cannot choose your opponent, so the only way left is for SLNA to innovate their style of play. The "ball" is in the SLNA coaching staff's feet.