Coach Thinh 'black' leads U21 SLNA

(Baonghean.vn) – With the immediate goal of reaching the National U21 Finals, former head coach of SLNA's first team Nguyen Van Thinh was assigned by the Nghe An team's leadership to lead this generation of players.

This year, SLNA youth teams have only won a single silver medal from the SLNA U.13 team. To achieve the goal set by the Provincial People's Committee, SLNA U.21 is the last hope of the Nghe An team.

Coach Nguyen Van Thinh. Thinh (nicknamed Thinh “black”) is one of the best coaches at SLNA Club.

Although he is currently coaching the U14 SLNA team, coach Nguyen Van Thinh was still assigned by the Nghe An team's leadership to take charge of the U21 SLNA team to prepare for the U21 National qualifying round. With extensive experience in youth training and top-notch expertise at SLNA, the former head coach of U.16 Vietnam is expected to bring a breakthrough to U.21 SLNA in this tournament.

The National U21 Qualifiers took place from October 3 to 13, 2016, with 20 participating teams divided into 4 groups. U21 SLNA was in Group A with Thanh Hoa, Viettel, and Hanoi T&T. FLC Thanh Hoa was the leader of this group and played at Thanh Hoa Provincial Stadium. The qualifying matches of Group A were on October 7, 10, and 13.

According to experts, the chances of advancing are equally divided among the teams. Most of the key players of the teams are currently playing in the V-League and the National First Division. In particular, U.21 SLNA is no less advantageous when it has 6 players currently playing in the first team including: Hoang Van Khanh, Ho Tuan Tai, Nguyen Viet Nguyen, Nguyen Phu Nguyen, Pham Xuan Manh, Phan Van Duc and midfielder Hoang Vu Dat playing for Phu Yen Club in the 2016 First Division. In particular, coach Nguyen Van Thinh also added outstanding players in the U17 team such as Dang Van Lam, Tran Tien Anh and Duong Van Cuong.

Xuan Manh and Tuan Tai - the hopes of U21 SLNA - photo: Internet.

For many days now, the entire U.21 SLNA team has been arranged to stay at the Friendship Hotel to have the best preparation in all aspects before the departure date. The qualifying round will select the 4 First-placed teams and 3 Second-placed teams with higher points and indexes in the four groups to compete in the Finals with the host team Than Quang Ninh. The final round will take place from October 23 to November 2, 2016, at the Cam Pha Stadium - Cam Pha City, Quang Ninh.

In this tournament, SLNA holds the national record with 5 championships in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012 and 2014.

Trung Kien