What is the 'key' for Song Lam Nghe An in V.League 2024-2025?

The team from Vinh City took the lead twice thanks to young midfielder Quang Vinh (minute 47) and striker Captain Olaha (minute 68), but the Vinh team quickly let the score fall after a corner kick and a left-wing attack from the Quy Nhon home team. The positive signs from the attacking front of Song Lam Nghe An have clearly appeared, at the same time, the weaknesses from the young team in general and the spread out midfield in particular are making it difficult for the team when being attacked by the opponent, which is something that needs to be mentioned now.

First of all, the mobility and constant role swapping of Olaha and Kuku in the attack is helping Lam River Nghe An diverse attacks and opening up opportunities for the second line to rush forward to find opportunities. Olaha's tendency to sometimes drop deep to find the ball or make the ball is being changed by letting Kuku play wide thanks to his good physical strength and excellent passing ability, not just his finishing ability as seen. Quang Vinh's opening goal started from Kuku's assist. More specifically, Olaha's goal was also assisted by Kuku with a classy pass and a skillful header. It can be seen that the roles of these two foreign players will be constantly interchanged, supporting each other, and improving each other in each match.

Song Lam Nghe An's unsatisfactory start through 5 rounds stemmed from the poor "supply" of the lower line for the attack line, as evidenced by the fact that the main striker Olaha failed to score for 4 rounds and Kuku only scored 2 goals, while the domestic strikers were completely silent. This is an undesirable difference for the Vinh team. But in the recent 5th round, with Olaha sometimes playing as a striker to score goals, with the first match scoring more than 1 goal (the match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh scored 1 goal from Kuku's free kick, the match against Thep Xanh Nam Dinh scored 1 goal from Kuku's header) with the domestic striker scoring and with Kuku scoring 2 assists, the coherent and effective attacking picture of Song Lam Nghe An has opened up widely and confidently. Is this the "key" to Song Lam Nghe An, after all the hard work of searching and testing?

Clearly, the trio of foreign players are playing more and more consistently and in sync. Zaracho, after his initial stumbles, is gradually becoming cold and precise, not to mention he will be a classy free-kick taker if given the chance. Kuku has a diverse and delicate finish from both free-kicks and headers and can be a top passer on a productive and sublime afternoon. The exemplary Olaha may score fewer goals but will be the one to deliver the decisive punch when needed…

The necessary and sufficient condition for the dynamism and effectiveness of the attack, of course, is the mobility, flexibility, and steadiness of the team's backline. What was shown in the match against Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, especially the 2 equalizers of the home team, shows that Song Lam Nghe An still has a lot of work to do. Center back Khac Luong has just returned from a long-term injury, played energetically, but unfortunately he still plays unsafely, putting himself in a difficult position. Nguyen Hoang is maturing even though the V.League is full of talented foreign players. After only 1 half, Song Lam Nghe An had to replace the entire central midfielder pair (replacing Xuan Tien and Xuan Binh with Ngoc Tu and Trong Tuan), showing that the Vinh team's midfield has not yet created the necessary stability and trust? Perhaps the team is waiting for the return of Ba Quyen, a true midfielder, capable of plugging the gap in front of the defense, with enough pressure to put pressure on the opponent, and the equalizer of the home team Binh Dinh is a specific example.

Although he has returned to the starting lineup in recent rounds, Xuan Tien unfortunately still has not been able to ensure his physical strength, no longer showing the smoothness and suddenness like in the U17, U19... And perhaps we still have to wait for Van Cuong to return to the right wing, when currently the "wings" of Song Lam are mainly focused on defense and have very few opportunities to advance as desired. Meanwhile, due to high competition pressure, the fact that young player Long Vu and foreign center-back Zaracho both let the ball touch their hands in the penalty area, causing the home team to receive 2 consecutive unwanted penalties, is a bitter reality that must be accepted. Relieving pressure in competition is not easy when the team's strength is lacking in the front and back and the opponent in V.League never knows what courtesy is...

A match is often not just a desired or disappointing result, but there are many more things to talk about afterwards, especially when the team knows how to see and seize new opportunities.

The 2-2 draw at Quy Nhon Stadium has certainly "opened the necessary account" for Olaha, creating conditions for Olaha to "open the barrel" as this player has shown for a long time; moreover, from now on, fans are waiting for the voice of the young team of Song Lam Nghe An, wondering which new names will come after Quang Vinh? It is also to confirm that, Song Lam Nghe An may "break down" against teams with big investments and great squads, but this young team is strong enough to stand firm and overcome other "mid-level" teams, with will, youth, and the combination of foreign players. Doing so is also commendable, worthy of encouragement and cheering for the team to gradually overcome this "difficult time"./.