The difference in the North Central derby

Although not stronger, Dong A Thanh Hoa is always a tough opponent for the Nghe team regardless of playing away or at home. The biggest difference in the match was that assistant Svetislav Tanasijevic had many quality foreign players such as Ze Paulo, Gustavo Costa Balotelli and central defender Gustavo Santos. In the 4-2-3-1 formation, central midfielder Ze Paulo scored 3 goals, along with Doan Ngoc Tan, who controlled the midfield well.

Host Dong A Thanh Hoa won 2-0 in the North Central derby. Photo SFC

Foreign player quality

In contrast to his rather heavy body, slow movement and lack of physical strength, Oseni sat on the bench. Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang arranged for Van Duc to play on the right wing in the attack line with Olaha, while rookie Mario continued to be trusted to play in midfield. The fact that Oseni has not scored in 7 matches and Olaha is still clumsy in both the first-step ball control and shooting stages shows that if the foreign player's form is not improved, Song Lam Nghe An's goal of finishing in the Top 3 will be difficult to achieve. Oseni's goal is that Olaha must score at least 5 goals in V.League 2022 to help the Vinh Stadium team finish in the Top 3 at the end of the season.

Letting Zé Paulo score a goal from a free kick about 20m away was a question for the Nghe An team's coaching staff when practicing the away team's exercises. The Song Lam Nghe An players jumped up to block the ball while the Brazilian player shot low, there was no one to block the ball. When using 2 foreign players Oseni, Olaha, the Nghe An team almost only used long, high passes, while the central defender Gustavo Santos, who used to play for Song Lam Nghe An, was 1.97m tall.

Center back Gustavo Santos played very effectively in marking and blocking. The strikers Phan Van Duc, Olaha and Oseni of Song Lam Nghe An did not have many favorable opportunities to finish. It was clear that Nguyen Huy Hoang's tactics in this match were not suitable and assistant Svetislav Tanasijevic easily solved it.

Rotate the pillars

Without proper rotation, Song Lam Nghe An's older players will run out of battery, easily leading to injury. Photo: SFC

This was the match where the main players Xuan Manh and Van Duc did not play at their best. Van Duc showed signs of "losing battery" in the last few matches, and Xuan Manh made a bad pass, causing Song Lam Nghe An to lose the second goal in a "3 vs 1" counterattack. Playing on the right wing, Van Duc could not show his strengths, playing too far from the opponent's goal, lacking the strength to stretch when dribbling.

This is an important stage of the season, captain Que Ngoc Hai has also significantly reduced his physical strength, many times lying on the field due to fouls by the opponent. In the upcoming matches, if there is no precise rotation, the older players of Song Lam Nghe An will "run out of battery", easily leading to injury.

Obviously, with the current situation, with a gap of 9 points with the top team, the championship goal of Song Lam Nghe An is far away. But to enter the top 3, coach Nguyen Huy Hoang is also facing fierce competition from his seniors Duc Thang (Binh Dinh), Chu Dinh Nghiem (Hai Phong), Bae Ji-won (Viettel), Kiatisak (Hoang Anh Gia Lai).