The tactical revolution of Song Lam Nghe An

Before the V-League took a break to make way for the National Team to participate in the 2024 Asean Cup, coach Phan Nhu Thuat only had 2 matches on the coaching bench of the team.Lam River Nghe An.

In those two matches, the Vinh home team did not have positive results. Especially with the heavy loss against Viettel, it showed that the Nghe An coach still has a lot of work to do.

And for nearly 2 months, the limitations and weaknesses of Song Lam Nghe An have been put on the table by the Nghe An coaching staff to dissect, find the cause and how to overcome it.

Among them, the weakness in the defense line stands out. The defense of Song Lam Nghe An is too fragile, careless and reveals many errors in the way it operates, along with the immaturity of each individual. All of these resonate to bring a Song Lam Nghe An that easily concedes goals at any time. And it must be affirmed that, if Song Lam Nghe An does not have a solid defense, it will be difficult to find positive results.

Realizing that rebuilding the defense is a key factor, after the V-League break, coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his colleagues met and agreed to rebuild a new strategy for Song Lam Nghe An. The 4-2-3-1 formation was chosen by the Vinh team's coaching staff. In particular, coach Phan Nhu Thuat will prioritize using defensive counter-attack tactics to approach the matches.

Looking back at the recent friendly match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh, it can be seen that, with the current players, Song Lam Nghe An seems to be on the right track. The defense of Song Lam Nghe An has been operating tightly, the players have covered each other better. And especially, the Nghe team has minimized the ball passing between the opponent's center back and full back. In addition, the ability to defend in the next ball situations has also been improved.

Also in this new formation, Song Lam Nghe An has made the transition from defense to attack quite effectively. In particular, striker Olaha has been pushed up to play highest on the attack line of Song Lam Nghe An. That has brought into play good qualities such as the ability to play independently, with the player's unpredictable handling.

Besides, Xuan Tien also tried his hand at the role of a guard. This seemed to be a suitable position for Xuan Tien to demonstrate his current strengths.

In addition, with the application of the new diagram, the physical requirements for Song Lam Nghe An players will be met. The midfield line will no longer be exhausted and run out of breath at the end of the match like before.

However, it is still too early to confirm the effectiveness of the tactical revolution that coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his colleagues are bringing to Song Lam Nghe An. And perhaps the match against SHB Da Nang in the 2024/25 National Cup will be a useful warm-up for coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team before the return of V-League.

It can be said that the goal of going far in this year's National Cup is not the goal that Song Lam Nghe An wants to aim for. Because in the situation of having to struggle at the bottom of the V-League rankings, it is likely that Song Lam Nghe An needs the match in the National Cup as a rehearsal, before entering the difficult confrontations in the National Football Championship 2024/25.