Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang: 'We will consider every match as the final'

Nghe An Newspaper reporter had an interview with this young strategist after the end of the first leg of the season.

Coach Huy Hoang plans tactics for his players before each match. Photo: Duc Anh

Reporter:Lam River Nghe Ancompleted the first leg of V.League 2022 with quite good results. This is your first time being a head coach in the highest tournament in Vietnam, how do you feel when you put your hometown team on the right track and achieved initial successes?

Coach Huy Hoang:Completing the first leg, Song Lam Nghe An ranked 2nd on the V.League 2022 rankings, but personally I still don't feel really satisfied, especially the last matches of phase 1. Because my goal and the team's goal is to try to win over 20 points in this phase. But anyway, standing in the position of a Head Coach for the first time and building a team with new improvements in playing style is temporarily considered an initial success. This will be the motivation for us to continue to build a stronger team in the future.

Reporter:Can you point out the positive points that the team has achieved in the first half of this season? What are the problems that Song Lam Nghe An need to overcome and improve in the second half?

Coach Huy Hoang:The most positive point in this first leg is that the spirit of Nghe An players has been raised significantly. In addition, the coaching staff as well as the older players always create opportunities for young players to play and demonstrate their abilities. In the second leg, we will continue to follow that motto, to help young players mature early, build a strong and deep source of athletes for the following years.

Through the first half of this season, we have noticed that many players are still slow in getting into the rhythm of the team's general style of play. On the other hand, we are still not satisfied with the way Song Lam Nghe An has operated the system in recent times. The Nghe An Club's attacks have become more defined, but there is still a lack of flexible and highly unpredictable coordination. The coaching staff will work more with the players to improve these shortcomings.

Song Lam Nghe An is on track in the first leg of the 2022 season. Photo: Chung Le

Reporter:Please share about your first experience leading a team playing in V.League?

Coach Huy Hoang:In the past, when I first took charge of the team, I always tried to learn from my colleagues in the V.League. When sitting in the hot seat, all coaches have to go through emotional fluctuations, sometimes with extreme happiness. But there are also times when they have to face regrets, the sadness of losing matches. And the coach must know how to overcome those emotions to balance the players' psychology, helping them always stand firm in the harsh environment of modern football.

Reporter:This season, Song Lam Nghe An has received great support from many Nghe An fans. What is the main reason why the audience is so interested in the team? In your opinion, how important is identity in football? What have you and the coaching staff done to preserve and promote that identity for your hometown team?

Coach Huy Hoang:This season, when the players step onto the field, they all have the same mindset to play with “Steel spirit, beautiful victory”. This is also the main reason why the audience returns to support Song Lam Nghe An more.

In my opinion, identity must always exist in a football team. Song Lam Nghe An also has its own unique identity. Our team always plays with enthusiasm and determination. The players always show strength, resilience, and the will to never give up. That contributes to bringing the love of many fans closer to the club. However, football has now developed in a modern direction. The coach must know how to flexibly combine people and playing style to elevate the identity of a team. At the same time, I always build a sense of ethical football playing for the players. When tackling, you must hit the center of the ball, not tackle the ball in a way that destroys the opponent. These are things that Song Lam Nghe An players have changed a lot in recent times.

Reporter:Back to the early days of taking over the team, Song Lam Nghe An was in a period of crisis. What did you do to rebuild the team's playing style?

Coach Huy Hoang:My colleagues and I have made a specific plan to rebuild the Song Lam Nghe An first team. The first step is to connect the newcomers and the old players. Between the young players and the older players. Create solidarity in the entire team. Help the players understand each other and support each other better on the field.

The members of the coaching staff and I also came up with a plan to improve the players' physical strength. That is the decisive factor for the team's success... The club's squad includes players who have played at the national team level. They understand the 3-5-2 tactical formation very well, so this is the core to build Song Lam Nghe An to play according to this formation. In addition, we spend a lot of time improving the players' modern football thinking. How should they move when they have the ball and when they don't? How to launch an attack and when defending...

Many young players were given the opportunity by coach Huy Hoang to step onto the V.Leauge field to show themselves. Photo: Duc Anh

Reporter:Knowing that the young players are not mature enough but still using them, is it a preparation for the future to help the club develop more sustainably, thereby creating a source of human resources for Vietnamese football?

Coach Huy Hoang:When the new sponsor took over the club with the desire to develop the provincial team. In which, the Nghe An native player was the center for that success. With that philosophy, the coaching staff of Song Lam Nghe An always tries to create conditions for young players to grow up. Thereby creating a strong successor force, contributing to the sustainable development of Song Lam Nghe An.

On the other hand, the past time has been a quiet time for Nghe An football. When Song Lam Nghe An players were absent from the national U23 team. This is a very regrettable thing in a locality considered the cradle of Vietnamese football. Therefore, we always want to create opportunities for young players to compete and prove their abilities to the national team's coaching staff.

Song Lam Nghe An's playing style has become more distinct since Coach Huy Hoang took over as team leader. Photo: Duc Anh

Reporter:Song Lam Nghe An's strength is defensive counter-attacking. How will you apply this style of play in the second leg? When facing teams that play with a large number of defenders and quick counter-attacks, how will Song Lam Nghe An solve that problem?

Coach Huy Hoang:I think that, at the moment, the most suitable playing style for Song Lam Nghe An is defensive counter-attacking. With the current players, the club cannot play in a style that controls the game against all the teams in the V.League. We are lacking an organizing midfielder, someone who can be a conductor like Khac Ngoc of Viettel. In the next season, we will try to find a player who can take on that role. But first, in the second leg, we will thoroughly instill the defensive counter-attacking style of play in each player, so as not to lose points in the decisive matches.

In recent matches, we have been a bit impatient to score points. Especially when facing teams like Viettel or SHB Da Nang. They play a defensive style and wait for opportunities. Although we controlled the game well, we lost due to lack of concentration. That is a lesson for us. In the future, the coaching staff will find solutions so that the players know how to counter that style of play of the opponent.

Reporter:Being in charge of a team competing in the V.League means that the coach will have less time for his family. So how important is family support to his work? How should he allocate his time to both do well as the captain of a team and as the pillar of his family?

Coach Huy Hoang:I must say that I have been very lucky to always receive encouragement and support from my wife. No matter the circumstances, my wife, children and family always stand by me, creating a spiritual support for me to overcome difficulties, joys and sorrows at work. Before and after each match, the first person I want to share my feelings with is my wife. Because she is the one who always sympathizes with me, whether happy or sad. Usually a coach's day is very busy. But when I don't have to compete, I try to spend a little time in the evening, to come home to have dinner with my wife, play with my children, and create a warm atmosphere in the family.

The road ahead for Song Lam Nghe An will still be full of obstacles. But we believe that with the collective efforts of the Nghe An team, we will be able to achieve the goals set out at the beginning of the tournament. Photo: Chung Le

Reporter:The upcoming journey of the season, Song Lam Nghe An will still have to face many difficulties. The strong teams have gradually played stably. What does Song Lam Nghe An need to do to be able to complete the set goals?

Coach Huy Hoang:In the early stages, the teams were not really stable, so the system was not operating well. In the second leg, the clubs will be stronger thanks to the good integration of new and old personnel. That is expected to cause many difficulties for Song Lam Nghe An. To complete the set goal, we need to consider each match as a final. We have to solve each match one by one. Try not to make basic mistakes that lead to losing points in decisive moments.

Reporter:Thanks Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang for this interview!