Former player Quoc Vuong: "The spirit and Nghe quality are SLNA's weapons at Hang Day"

The match between Hanoi and SLNA is the highlight of round 4 of V.League 2019. Photo: VPF

Before meeting in round 4 of V.League 2019, SLNA had 2 wins and 1 draw, ranking 3rd on the V.League 2019 rankings. Meanwhile, the home team Hanoi also had 7 points and ranked right above SLNA. Therefore, the upcoming match is considered a 6-point match, whichever team wins will move up.

In the history of confrontation, SLNA and Hanoi have met a total of 22 times and the home team is dominating. Of which, SLNA only has 4 wins, 10 draws and 8 losses. At Hang Day Stadium, the Nghe An team's performance is not very good, winning 2, drawing 5 and losing 5. The last time SLNA got a point at Hang Day Stadium was when Coach Huu Thang led his students to a 2-2 draw in an extremely dramatic match.

In an interview with Nghe An Newspaper, former midfielder Le Quoc Vuong commented: “According to the current V.League rankings and home field factors, Hanoi FC is rated higher than SLNA. In the past 10 years, Hanoi has always been ranked as the top team. They are the strongest team in Vietnam, in terms of playing style and personnel. And their stability is also very high, so SLNA is the underdog team.”

SLNA's gameplay is more balanced.

“This year, I expect SLNA’s mental strength when they meet Hanoi again. When playing against Quang Ninh, their spirit is much more stable than before. I think SLNA’s force this year is stable. However, the competitive mentality of SLNA’s young players in the past was often unexpectedly excited when attacking. When they were behind without a good result, they were often tense and could not fully develop their inherent qualities.

In V.League 2019, SLNA welcomed the return of veterans, helping the team's playing style become more balanced. The playing style became more cunning. Experienced players like Van Binh - Dinh Dong know how to control the tempo of the match instead of playing too fast like before. This is very good compared to recent seasons," said Quoc Vuong.

Hoang Vu Samson is a player who has the luck to score against SLNA. Photo: VPF

In terms of foreign players, Hanoi is absolutely dominant with players like Pape Omar, Oseni, Moses, Samson or McDonald. Among them, Hoang Vu Samson, Pape Omar and G. Oseni have all scored 2 goals in V.League 2019. For SLNA, Michael Olaha is the only support with 2 goals, striker Alves Dos Santos from Brazil has not yet spoken even though he plays the highest.

Regarding foreign players, Quoc Vuong commented: “I feel that SLNA foreign players have not yet fully developed their abilities. Up to now, foreign players when coming to SLNA have played with a very good domestic team. When playing in a team of all local players, with high team spirit, they will easily shine. Unfortunately, SLNA's domestic team has many changes every year, many good players leave, causing the performance of foreign players to be affected, not as expected.

Art is the strength of SLNA

In the past 3-4 years, SLNA has suddenly “transformed” with a beautiful playing style and the title of “Fair-play Team” at V.League 2018 is the clearest proof. Since V.League 2016, SLNA has not received a red card, but that does not mean that the fiery and fierce playing style of the Nghe An team has been lost.

“In the past, SLNA’s “hard-hitting” style of play relied on strength and was very passionate, not dirty. 15-20 years ago, when football had not yet developed much in terms of tactics, players played with strength and eccentricity. Every team had a few players who kicked the opponent’s legs, not just SLNA. But SLNA’s spirit was very passionate, people were afraid and cold before us in terms of the spirit of never giving up. When that spirit is promoted, SLNA will go further,” Quoc Vuong commented.

Graphics: Trung Kien

Finally, the former Nghe An player commented: “When Hanoi meets SLNA again, I predict there will be more goals than in previous confrontations. In previous times, SLNA was often cautious and played defensively against Hanoi. I expect SLNA to play more offensively, put more pressure to find a goal right at Hang Day Stadium. The home team has many players who can create breakthroughs, SLNA must attack more and faster to confuse the opponent.

On the other hand, Coach Duc Thang and his players will receive enthusiastic cheers from tens of thousands of Nghe An fans right at Hang Day. If they can promote their mental strength and play with the true Nghe style, SLNA will be able to bridge the gap in expertise. In the match, there are many other factors as well as the direction of the head coach, but if they maintain their form and stay calm, I believe SLNA will go from a draw to a win.

SLNA can aim for the championship!

Also according to the former SLNA midfielder, V.League 2019 is the season in which the Nghe An team has quite abundant internal strength and is capable of making things happen, even winning the championship. However, the most important thing is SLNA's clear goal.

“For SLNA to achieve good results in V.League 2019, the most important thing is the mindset of the team leaders. From the leaders, down to the coach and the players, when our goal is to win the championship, the players will have a completely different motivation. If the goal is just Top 3, Top 5 in general, it will be difficult for the players to have a goal to strive for. If the players go on the field with the mindset of playing to win the championship, their mentality will be different,” Quoc Vuong concluded.

The match between Hanoi and Song Lam Nghe An will take place at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, April 7 at Hang Day Stadium. Photo: SLNA FC

SLNA fans plan to cheer for the "big battle" at Hang Day

(Baonghean.vn) - In round 4 of V.League 2019, SLNA will be the guest of the defending champion Hanoi at Hang Day Stadium. At this time, all plans to cheer for the upcoming match have been prepared by Nghe An fans.