Does Song Han football team have "undercurrents"?

If in V-League 2018, people have counted, the army of new coach Minh Phuong had 7 matches, played with 7 different lineups, scored 7 goals and only earned 7 points, ranked 11th on the rankings, 2 points more than the last team Nam Dinh. In the National Cup, after 3 matches, they also conceded 7 goals, making people think that SHB.Da Nang's defense is considered the worst among the current V-League teams.

Lack of leadership

The SHB.Da Nang captain's armband while Do Merlo was recovering from an injury belonged to Duy Lam, born in 1988. Compared to Nguyen Sa before, Duy Lam is a more reserved leader, so when the team encountered difficulties, they lacked someone to lift their spirits.

SHB.Da Nang's coaching staff is looking forward to Huy Toan's brilliance after his injury. Photo: To Minh

As coach Minh Phuong said, when talking about the frequent holes in the defense, SHB Da Nang's problem is not just the defense but the defense system. The new coach expects defender Ewode to strengthen the defense, which has been considered a weak point since the end of coach Le Huynh Duc's time. This foreign player has good physical strength and physique, but his ability to turn around is a problem. When facing the playing style of HAGL and Hanoi, he was continuously outplayed. In 10 matches, conceding 20 goals is an alarming number.

When Do Merlo was not in good form and the opposing defenders found a way to neutralize him, the burden of scoring fell on Ha Duc Chinh and Huy Toan. In fact, these two players played quite well. In the V-League, Ha Duc Chinh scored 2 goals and Huy Toan, in addition to 2 goals, also had 1 assist. But that was not enough, because after SHB.Da Nang switched from high and long kicks to Merlo's head, they had difficulty controlling the match.

Bui Tien Dung showed relatively good blocking ability but his ability to create lacked the necessary creativity. Foreign player Pereira was selected by coach Minh Phuong and brought to Hoa Xuan stadium but it seems that this foreign player is only good at disrupting the play rather than controlling the play and scoring goals.

Unlike SLNA, the team on the banks of the Han River has no mainstays, so coach Minh Phuong has been rotating around and has yet to define a style of play. Perhaps new coach Minh Phuong still lacks the necessary patience, so he has yet to find a satisfactory lineup.

Behind the shouts

Quang Nam audiences shouted “1,2,3 Minh Phuong go home” in the first leg match at Hoa Xuan Stadium against SLNA. But that did not dampen Minh Phuong’s spirit. He said: “The locker room is not a problem for SHB Da Nang. The problem here is the fighting spirit of the players. They need to change, play more professionally and be aware of their profession. In terms of strength, we are only behind Hanoi and Thanh Hoa, not inferior to any other team.”

Merlo, although no longer in top form, is still a mainstay of the team's attack on the banks of the Han River. Photo: To Minh

In the second leg of the National Cup quarter-finals, SHB.Da Nang's coaching staff left Ewode, Thanh Hai, Duy Lam, Pereira, Tien Dung, and Ha Duc Chinh on the bench. They accepted losing 2 more goals in the second leg of the National Cup quarter-finals at Vinh Stadium to rest their legs for the match against Coach Miura's team at Hoa Xuan Stadium.

Coach Minh Phuong affirmed: “I have been here for many years, so I understand all the "undercurrents" and problems. To be honest, Da Nang players are very gentle, so there is no such thing as "undercurrents"!”. But if SHB.Da Nang keeps playing without winning, there will definitely be a storm!