Is there "undercurrent" within the Song Han football team?
(Baonghean.vn) - In the 2008 V-League season, after Da Nang lost their third consecutive match, coach Phan Thanh Hung was sacked. Seven years later, it was the turn of "head coach" Le Huynh Duc to falter as SHB Da Nang also suffered three consecutive defeats. Now, not only have Minh Phuong lost three matches in the V-League, but they have also lost two more matches in the National Cup.
According to statistics from the 2018 V-League season, coach Minh Phương's team played 7 matches, fielded 7 different lineups, scored 7 goals, and only earned 7 points, finishing 11th in the standings, just 2 points ahead of bottom-placed Nam Định. In the National Cup, after 3 matches, they also conceded 7 goals, leading many to believe that SHB.Đà Nẵng's defense is currently the weakest among all V-League teams.
Lack of a leader
While Do Merlo was recovering from injury, the captain's armband for SHB.Da Nang went to Duy Lam, born in 1988. Compared to Nguyen Sa before him, Duy Lam is a more reserved type of leader, so when the team faced difficulties, they lacked someone to lift their spirits.
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| SHB Da Nang's coaching staff is hoping for Huy Toan to shine after his injury. Photo: To Minh |
As coach Minh Phương rightly pointed out, when discussing the frequent defensive weaknesses, SHB Da Nang's problem isn't just the defense itself, but the entire defensive system. The new coach hopes that defender Ewode will strengthen the defense, which has been considered a weakness since the end of coach Le Huynh Duc's tenure. This foreign player has good physical fitness and build, but his agility is a problem; when facing the playing style of HAGL and Hanoi, he is repeatedly outmaneuvered. Conceding 20 goals in 10 matches is an alarming number.
With Do Merlo out of form and his defensive tactics figured out by opposing defenders, the burden of scoring fell on Ha Duc Chinh and Huy Toan. In fact, these two players performed well; in the V-League, Ha Duc Chinh scored two goals, while Huy Toan also provided one assist. But that wasn't enough, because after SHB Da Nang switched from long, aerial balls aimed at Merlo's head, they struggled to control the game.
Bui Tien Dung showed relatively good defensive abilities, but his creative playmaking lacked the necessary flair. Foreign player Pereira was selected by coach Minh Phuong and brought to Hoa Xuan Stadium, but it seems this player is more at disrupting the opponent's play than controlling the game and scoring goals.
Unlike SLNA, the team on the banks of the Han River lacks key players, so coach Minh Phương keeps rotating his squad, yet to establish a clear playing style. Perhaps the new coach Minh Phương still lacks the necessary patience, which is why he hasn't yet found a satisfactory lineup.
Behind the shouts
Fans in Quang Nam chanted "1, 2, 3 Minh Phuong, come home!" during the first leg match at Hoa Xuan Stadium against SLNA. But that didn't deter Minh Phuong, who said: "The locker room isn't the problem for SHB Da Nang. The issue here is the players' fighting spirit. They need to change, play more professionally, and be aware of their profession. In terms of squad strength, we're only behind Hanoi and Thanh Hoa, not inferior to any other team."
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| Although Merlo is no longer in top form, he remains a key player in the attack for the team on the banks of the Han River. Photo: To Minh |
In the second leg of the National Cup quarter-finals, the SHB Da Nang coaching staff benched Ewode, Thanh Hai, Duy Lam, Pereira, Tien Dung, and Ha Duc Chinh. They accepted a further two-goal defeat in the second leg of the National Cup quarter-finals at Vinh Stadium to conserve energy for the match against Coach Miura's team at Hoa Xuan Stadium.
Coach Minh Phuong asserted: "I've been here for many years, so I understand all the 'undercurrents' and problems. Honestly, the Da Nang players are very gentle, so there's no 'undercurrent' here!" But if SHB Da Nang keeps failing to win, then trouble will surely arise!
