HAGL plays against SLNA at Plei-ku Stadium: The poor meet the needy

If they continue to draw at Pleiku Stadium, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Song Lam Nghe An will soon catch up with the sad record of the 2022 V.League season that Saigon FC is holding, 8 matches without a win. The away team players from Nghe An are in a more comfortable mood as after 20 meetings they have won 10 and lost only 6.

Kick for the future

Although he did not declare to give up the top 3 goal, the Nghe An audience understood that coach Huy Hoang had "let go", prioritizing opportunities for young players. In recent matches, both striker Oseni and midfielder Mario had to give up their positions to young players in the match with Hong Linh Ha Tinh. More than anyone else, sponsor Tan Long and coach Huy Hoang understood how difficult the four words "professional football" are.

Will Trong Hoang's return improve SLNA's attack situation? Photo: SLNA

To be fair, coach Huy Hoang is highly appreciated for daring to innovate the tactical diagram, experimenting with a series of new positions for Xuan Manh and Van Duc, and daring to use many young players. The former national team center-back has succeeded in building a 3-defender defense diagram but has been confused when improving the scoring compared to his two senior colleagues. At the end of the season, Olaha, Oseni and Mario are still playing like strangers, with target striker Oseni only having 4 goals, only equal to the odd number of the foreign player leading the scoring list in V.League 2022 Rimario (14 goals).

This is a match that coach Huy Hoang needs to win to relieve the team's psychology after 6 matches without knowing victory. The return of captain Que Ngoc Hai has helped the defense feel more secure, Oseni has just scored again, the home team is in bad form, making the opportunity to get 3 points bigger than ever. Who will score for the away team?

Hard to understandKiatisak

Home team Hoang Anh Gia Lai has given up on the championship goal, even entering the top 3 of the season is quite difficult. Whether to play with all their strength or send in reserve players is a question that only coach Kiatisak knows, that is what Song Lam Nghe An's coaching staff has a headache about. In the loss to the bottom team TP.HCM, the Thai strategist left many key players such as Van Thanh, Xuan Truong, goalkeeper Tuan Linh or Hong Duy on the bench. Even experienced center back Huu Tuan was not registered to play in this match. Zico Thai continued to use Bao Toan as a right-back and Thanh Nhan as a left-back.

Looking at the way they lost like a quick practice match, 2 goals within 2 minutes in the second half, it can be seen that the motivation of Hoang Anh Gia Lai players was fading. The second goal was lost, the home team's defender had a disastrous pass back to Conroy to seize the opportunity to shoot diagonally, increasing the score to 2-0.

Mr. Duc may not need a title, but a professional player's life without a V.League title must be reviewed. Especially good and talented players like Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Van Toan, do they not want to have personal achievements? After the 2022 season, the home team Hoang Anh Gia Lai will say goodbye to some key players after their contracts expire. Mr. Duc has confirmed this. Staying or leaving is still a secret and will certainly greatly affect the players' psychology and the away team's chances of winning.

Before the information that Kiatisak will return to Thailand to take over the national team, SportHero - the information site managed by Kiatisak has denied. SportHero announced: "Coach Kiatisak is not interested in accepting the job of working for the Thai national team at this time. He wants to spend time with Hoang Anh Gia Lai in Vietnam. At the same time, Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club - Doan Nguyen Duc is also ready to offer a new contract to keep coach Zico for a long time. It is expected that the Thai coach will sign a 3-year contract with Hoang Anh Gia Lai."

What will happen?

Coach Kiatisak. Photo: HAGL FC

Wanting to stick with Hoang Anh Gia Lai for a long time, what is coach Zico Thai's remaining goal for this season? Is coach Kiatisak saving his players for the match against Nghe An? Or does Mr. Duc also want to create opportunities for young players for next season like the visiting team Song Lam Nghe An?

The match at Pleiku Stadium between the two teams is quite similar in situation, only 1 point apart, if Hoang Anh Gia Lai wins, they have a chance to surpass Song Lam Nghe An in the rankings. But clearly, if they actively attack but do not score, they are very likely to be hit by a "counterattack", which the two coaches have made many times. It is very possible that, after calculating for a long time, each team will try to defend to get 1 point, extending their winless streak to 7.