The key for U17 Song Lam Nghe An to pass the semi-finals

The joy of U17 Song Lam Nghe An players after passing the quarter-finals: Photo: Chung Le

The prominent nuclei

U17 Song Lam Nghe An advanced to the semi-finals with an undefeated record. Notably, coach Phan Tien Hoai's team won all matches in the final round. That result was the convergence of many factors from player quality, suitable tactics, competitive spirit...

This season, U17 Song Lam Nghe An has 3 groups including U15, U16 and U17. Of these, 6 players have been called up to the National U17 Team: goalkeeper Nguyen Bao Ngoc; defenders Tran Cong Dat, Phan Van Thanh; midfielders Pham Nguyen Quoc Trung, Le Dinh Long Vu and striker Phung Van Nam.

Besides, there are quite impressive players such as central defender Le Nguyen Hoang; midfielder Nguyen Quang Vinh; striker Tran Quoc Hoa... Among them, Captain Quang Vinh shows the qualities of a number 10. Playing behind two strikers, but Quang Vinh's range of activities is quite wide. He always plays the role of the designer for the attacking plans of U17 Song Lam Nghe An. This is an extremely important link of the yellow shirt army this season.

Evaluating his players, coach Phan Tien Hoai said: “Advancing to the final round of U17 Song Lam Nghe An, we have added a number of players who played very well in the previous U15 tournament such as Bao Ngoc, Tran Cong Dat, Tan Minh, Tran Quoc Hoa... This is a necessary addition to help our team have more depth and have more options for replacement. Besides, we also have players from U16 Vietnam who played quite well in the recent U16 Southeast Asian tournament. Overall, our squad is a united group, the players all have good thinking and follow the coach's tactical intentions very well. The coaching staff will do better psychological work so that each player is confident when entering the field and competes with the best spirit".

The players of U17 Song Lam Nghe An this season have quite good skills: Photo: Chung Le

The key to passing PVF

U17 Song Lam Nghe An is in very impressive form with a series of consecutive wins. In the final round, SLNA scored 5 goals and did not concede any.

Coach Phan Tien Hoai affirmed: “We build the playing style for Nghe An U17 based on the collective. Not revolving around any specific core. The motto of Song Lam Nghe An U17 is “One for all”. Each player must complete his task with the common goal of the whole team”.

The semi-final opponent of U17 Song Lam Nghe An is PVF. This is the early final match of the tournament. PVF has a well-balanced squad of players with good technique and modern tactical thinking. Although PVF only finished 2nd in the group stage, in the matches, they always showed that they are the favorites. This was clearly shown in the 3-1 victory over the heavyweight opponent U17 Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Coach Phan Tien Hoai perfects tactics for U17 Song Lam Nghe An before the semi-final match of the 2022 National U17 Tournament. Photo: Chung Le

That does not mean that Nghe An U17 will be inferior to their opponents. Coach Phan Tien Hoai's team often shows its strength when facing opponents of equal strength and willing to play offensively. PVF will not play defensively like Binh Duong or Binh Phuoc teams, but most likely with their current strength, they will still take the initiative to hold the ball and launch attacks. At that time, opportunities will open up for players who are capable of playing independently and creating breakthroughs such as Le Dinh Long Vu, Quang Vinh, or even the young player of the U15 team - Tran Quoc Hoa. What is necessary for Nghe An players to pass the semi-finals is that they must show confidence and alertness against opponents of equal strength.