FLC Thanh Hoa vs. SLNA: Two contrasting colors!

(Baonghean.vn) - The opening matches of the 2017 V. League are highly anticipated with many exciting contests. Among them, the North Central Vietnam derby between hosts FLC Thanh Hoa and SLNA is particularly attracting the attention of football fans nationwide.

In the 2016 season, FLC Thanh Hoa was one of the most heavily invested teams in the V. League, with quality transfers both in coaching staff and squad strength. Coach Le Thuy Hai was brought in as technical director (the coach from Ha Dong did not have an AFC-issued A coaching license). Simultaneously, talented players such as Dinh Dong from SLNA, Van Binh and Tang Tuan from Binh Duong... transformed FLC Thanh Hoa into a real force in the 2016 V. League.

However, the results on the field did not match the investment made by the team's management. After the promising results at the beginning of the season, when coach Le Thuy Hai's team created an exciting race with Hai Phong.

With big names like B.Binh Duong and HN.T&T struggling with their own problems, many believed that Thanh Hoa was the strongest contender for the V.League championship. However, as the most prestigious Vietnamese league progressed into the second half, FLC Thanh Hoa played as if they were afraid of winning. From being on par with Hai Phong, FLC Thanh Hoa officially watched their rival HN.T&T overtake them and compete head-to-head with the team from the port city.

Ho Tuan Tai scored the only goal to help SLNA overcome FLC TH in the second leg of the V. League 2016.

The turning point that marked FLC Thanh Hoa's "relinquishment of the championship" was the match against SLNA in Vinh. The 0-1 defeat (scored by Ho Tuan Tai) against a struggling SLNA team missing many key players was the "last straw" that shattered the relationship between FLC Thanh Hoa and Le Thuy Hai. Although his decision to part ways with the Thanh Hoa team was only officially announced after the 2-2 draw with Saigon FC, the latter's departure was not finalized until after the match.

But as everyone knows, the defeat against their neighbor SLNA contributed to the strained relationship between Le Thuy Hai and FLC Thanh Hoa. It's worth remembering that in 2011, after a match against SLNA (Lam Son Thanh Hoa 2-3 SLNA), the coach from Ha Dong had to leave Thanh Hoa in bitterness. This illustrates that the instability of FLC Thanh Hoa in the past season was partly due to the presence of the team from Nghe An.

SLNA's performance in the 2016 V. League was even more disastrous. Not only were their results poor on the field, but the atmosphere in the stands was also terribly disappointing. Apart from away matches at stadiums like Go Dau (Binh Duong), Thong Nhat (Saigon FC), Tan An (Long An), Hang Day (Hanoi T&T)... Nguyen Manh and his teammates always had to play in sparsely populated stadiums. Never before in over two decades had the "Vinh City cauldron" been so cold.

According to preliminary statistics, whenever SLNA plays at home, only about 5000 fans attend the match. Even matches against Saigon FC (round 5) and XSKT Can Tho (round 25) only attracted a little over 2000 spectators. Their 9th place finish and the lack of fan support paint a picture of SLNA's performance in the 2016 V. League.

FLC Thanh Hóa has significantly strengthened its squad with the arrival of coach Petrovic. Photo: Internet.

Coincidentally, both FLC Thanh Hoa and SLNA made changes to their coaching staff at the start of the 2017 V. League season. While the Nghe An team remained loyal to their homegrown talent, appointing Nguyen Duc Thang as their leader, FLC Thanh Hoa placed their trust in a strategist from Europe, Coach Petrovic. Of course, to succeed in the V. League, and especially for teams with unique characteristics like SLNA and FLC Thanh Hoa, reputation and professional expertise sometimes don't tell the whole story.

But in terms of squad strength, one thing is certain: FLC Thanh Hoa is superior to SLNA. Not only does it possess a squad of top-tier domestic players with names who have proven their abilities over the years such as Mai Tien Thanh, Nguyen Trong Hoang, Hoang Dinh Tung, Ngo Hoang Thinh... but it also boasts quality foreign players like Uche, Omar, and naturalized player Van Bakel. Not to mention SLNA, most other teams in the V. League would be wary and envious of FLC Thanh Hoa's "elite squad".

In contrast to the rather deserted atmosphere at Vinh Stadium in the 2016 season, Thanh Hoa Stadium last year consistently welcomed a large number of spectators (an average of over 10,000 people) to cheer on the home team. Along with Cam Pha and Lach Tray stadiums, the "sacred ground" of the Thanh Hoa team was one of the rare bright spots in terms of audience attendance in the 2016 V. League.

With the team's significant investments, it is expected that this season Thanh Hoa fans will continue to flock to the stadium to support their beloved players. The Thanh Hoa stadium will then remain a true cauldron of passion, making it extremely difficult for any visiting team to withstand the intense support from the home crowd.

FLC Thanh Hoa players always receive tremendous support from their home crowd. Photo: Internet.

For a long time, V.League teams have been heavily influenced by prize money. High bonuses from management encourage players to perform more enthusiastically, and vice versa. The ambition of a team can be clearly seen in the amount of money the management offers as bonuses before each match, or the cash rewards after each victory. In the 2016 V.League season, FLC Thanh Hoa had the highest bonus for a win; while the exact figure isn't known, leaked information suggests it was one and a half to two times the amount SLNA players received for a win. It's certain that in the 2017 V.League season, Petrovic's team will receive a higher bonus, if not a much larger one.

From squad strength to ambition... FLC Thanh Hoa is a notch above SLNA. A draw would be a success for Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team, while for the home team, FLC Thanh Hoa, a loss would be a defeat. However, the final result of the Thanh Hoa-Nghe An derby often doesn't depend much on superior numbers in terms of squad strength and form. If SLNA earns more than one point in the upcoming match, it wouldn't surprise anyone, including neutral fans and Thanh Hoa supporters alike.

Thanh Hung