Song Lam Nghe An's tactics when Olaha is absent

Why is Olaha important?

Of the three foreign players, Olaha is considered the most important in coach Huy Hoang's playing style. In the 3-1-4-2 formation, Oseni plays the highest as a target striker, while Olaha often retreats to participate in defense. In the match against Hanoi FC, Olaha often returned to the 16.5m box to prevent the opponent from attacking. The flexibility of the Nigerian player and the abundant physical strength of Xuan Manh made the Vinh team not lose in numbers in both defense and attack.

When Ojong Mark was injured, Olaha stood out both defensively and offensively. Photo: SLFC

With a good physical foundation, Olaha is also responsible for breaking the opponent's strength and playing style, connecting Song Lam Nghe An to change from defense to attack. Returning to Vinh Stadium, the Nigerian player's aerial ability has improved significantly, making V.League teams wary. When Ojong Mark was injured and unable to play, Olaha's role became even more prominent in both defense and attack.

New plan

In the match against Dong A Thanh Hoa, the absence of Olaha made it impossible for Van Duc and Oseni to find suitable partners in attack. The attacking pressure of the Vinh home team was not enough to confuse the opponent, because Van Viet and Oseni had not found a common voice. The key point of the tactical scheme that coach Huy Hoang is using is that in the forward line, one of the two must have good finishing ability, the other must have speed. In the recent match at Vinh Stadium, both strikers did not show good finishing ability.

In addition, the crosses from the sidelines by Dinh Hoang and Sy Hoang were not supported inside, and Oseni's jumping ability was not very good due to weight problems. Obviously,Lam River Nghe AnDon't use too many high balls from the sidelines, but rather take advantage of balls that go from outside the 16.5m area. Use more low passes, short and medium distances to approach the opponent's goal.

In the match against Dong A Thanh Hoa, the absence of Olaha made it difficult for Van Duc and Oseni to find suitable partners in attack. Photo: SLFC

To enter the TOP 3, Song Lam Nghe An must consider many options, including the absence of Olaha. Currently, coach Huy Hoang does not have any player who can hold the ball and move 15-20m in the middle, so he must consider having an intermediate bridge waiting for Oseni, Van Duc and 2 wingers to move up to attack.

If we still choose the 3-1-4-2 style of play, it is clear that the space left by Olaha needs to be re-arranged, shortening the distance between Van Duc, Xuan Tien and the striker above (in the previous match it was Van Viet). The attack line has 7 players, coach Huy Hoang has a maximum of 6 attacking players, how to move the whole formation is something that needs to be calculated.

The Nghe An team is passing behind the opponent's central defenders for Van Duc to accelerate. This is a good move, but clearly against central defenders with better physique and strength, it requires good coordination for midfielder number 20 to have a favorable position to approach the ball.

In the long term, the Vinh team still needs a third foreign player to avoid the current situation of playing against a “Western handicap”. Currently, except for Hanoi FC, no team in the V.League has enough confidence to rely entirely on domestic players. In the context of using many young players like the Nghe team, having enough foreign players will reduce the pressure in the one-on-one battles in the midfield area.