Do Merlo - The missing piece of the Vietnam national team

(Baonghean.vn) - With 4 times winning the title of V-League Top Scorer in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016, Gaston Merlo is the most successful player in the history of Vietnam V-League. People affirm that naturalized player Do Merlo is the piece that the team needs.

After the departure of Cong Vinh, the team’s attack line is facing many difficulties in terms of personnel. Not only in the match with U20 Argentina, but before that, Coach Huu Thang had relied on the recommendations of the club coaches many times, but it was like “burning a hundred torches but not finding a single frog”.

It is time to look at the source of naturalized players, especially those with stable performance and standard lifestyle. Let's give them the opportunity to show their love for Vietnam.

V-League best player

Do Merlo is a striker with the most modern playing style in Vietnam. In the competition, this naturalized player of SHB.Da Nang does not have any unnecessary movements. He can dribble and shoot with both feet, whenever there is space, he shoots into the opponent's goal.

The cutting header is Do Merlo’s unmistakable “specialty”, although defenders, including foreign players, know this forte, but they cannot defend against it. It turns out that about 40% of Do Merlo’s goals come from aerial situations full of strength and individual technique.

It can be affirmed that Do Merlo (formerly known as Gaston Merlo) is the most successful player in the history of the Vietnamese V-League. Maintaining an impressive scoring form in the shirt of the Han River team SHB Da Nang, the Argentinian player has achieved noble titles such as winning the V-League Top Scorer title 4 times in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016.

Those statistics prove that Merlo is one of the best strikers in the history of the Vietnam National Championship, and is an important factor in SHB.Da Nang's playing style. Even when coach Le Huynh Duc chooses a winger to play, the criteria of passing the ball well for Merlo to score is put at the top.

The Vietnam national team has tried out naturalized foreign players such as Phan Van Santos, Dinh Hoang La, Dinh Hoang Max, Huynh Kesley... However, most of them did not leave a special impression, if not to say disappointment, so this issue was buried. Currently, Huu Thang only has 2 strikers Cong Phuong and Van Quyet, both of whom play as attacking midfielders.

In fact, after Anh Duc of B.Binh Duong left the team, we did not have a real striker, and aerial tactics were not used. When Van Quyet and Cong Phuong were not in good form, scoring had to rely heavily on the midfield, with small, short and low combinations. The Vietnamese team almost did not have unexpected cross-field passes or wing passes, so it was difficult to score against a crowded defense.

If Do Merlo is present, there will certainly be more healthy competition in the attack, diversifying the team's attacks. Certainly, the scoring efficiency of the Vietnamese team will increase because currently Huu Thang has many good ball-handling players such as Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Quang Hai.

Thirst for Gratitude

Do Merlo returned from injury and scored a hat-trick against FLC Thanh Hoa in the National Cup. The Argentine striker, who has just successfully naturalized, chose the surname Do of Mr. Hien to show his gratitude to the person who has always supported him for so long. At 32 years old, with not much time left to play professional football, Do Merlo really wants to join the national team to show his gratitude to the land that has given him so much love in his life. The necessary and sufficient conditions are there, just waiting for Huu Thang to add his name to the list!

AT