Huu Thang with the lesson of AFF Cup 2016

(Baonghean.vn) - Our team's failure at the AFF Cup 2016 was tied to the injuries of midfielders Ngo Hoang Thinh and Tuan Anh. In the absence of conductor Tuan Anh, the coaching staff still had Xuan Truong to replace him, but the loss of Ngo Hoang Thinh left a defensive disaster.

It can be said that in 2016, midfielder Ngo Hoang Thinh was the trump card of coach Huu Thang in the 4-1-4-1 defensive formation. With good physique and stamina, and a powerful long-range shot, Hoang Thinh was the sweeper, tasked with recovering the ball so that the duo Xuan Truong and Tuan Anh could have free time to attack.

In fact, the skill of playing the anchor midfielder position is quite difficult. In addition to good physical strength and tall appearance to compete in one-on-one and aerial combat with the opposing striker, one must have good tactical vision. Even in English football, it took a long time for an excellent central midfielder like N'Golo Kanté to appear, let alone on the Vietnamese football field.

Lessons from AFF Cup 2016

Being a far-sighted person, Coach Huu Thang had intended to find a reserve player for Ngo Hoang Thinh, but in the end, for many reasons, he put all his trust in his student. So when Hoang Thinh was injured, Coach Huu Thang was quite stumped because he had no suitable replacement. The coaching staff had to pull Trong Hoang into the middle, sometimes using Le Van Thang, but neither of them had the professional skills to support the defense.

In the end, Huu Thang had a failed AFF Cup 2016 when Hoang Thinh was injured. It is worth mentioning that players in this position are often injured because they often face the opponent's attack.

Duy Manh is a talented young player of Hanoi FC. Photo: Internet

Currently, to prepare for SEA Games 29, Huu Thang has Duy Manh, a good defensive midfielder for U.22 Vietnam at the moment. His aggressive and intelligent playing style has brought Duy Manh the title of Best Young Player of V-League 2015. He is young but has experience.

It can be said that Duy Manh and central defender Tien Dung are the leaders of the U.22 Vietnam defense, while goalkeeper Tien Dung and Phi Minh Long are both in poor form. Finding someone to pair with Tien Dung in the central defender role is a headache for coach Huu Thang because Van Khanh cannot create trust, Tan Sinh and Dinh Trong still have some limitations.

The strength of the player from Dong Anh (Hanoi) is that he can play both as a center back and a central midfielder. The loss to Korea showed that the defensive ability of the pair Tuan Anh - Xuan Truong was not good, Duy Manh was still needed. When Duy Manh stepped up to replace the injured Tuan Anh from the beginning of the second half, the center of the U22 Vietnam team was able to hold the ball.

In the 4-1-4-1 formation, Duy Manh is the obvious choice for the anchor midfielder position because the Hanoi FC player's blocking ability has been confirmed. Even when playing in the 4-4-2 formation, if facing a strong opponent, the coaching staff does not dare to take risks with the attacking midfielder duo Tuan Anh - Xuan Truong.

In other words, Huu Thang can only use one of the two players above to pair with Duy Manh, meaning Duy Manh always has a starting position in any formation, not to mention when he needs to move back to play as a center back.

With a mobile position, losing physical strength in each match, Duy Manh will hardly be able to start all 5 group stage matches of SEA Games 29, not to mention the situation of being penalized and injured. Duy Manh also has a history of serious injuries (a crushed talus cartilage in his ankle) in V-League 2017, having to rest for 4 weeks.

Looking for a defensive midfielder

Certainly, if there is only one option, Duy Manh, for the defensive midfielder position, it will raise concerns like what happened with Hoang Thinh.

Midfielder Duy Manh has a similar playing style to his senior Hoang Thinh. Photo: Internet

The U22 Vietnam coaching staff still has 3 practice matches to find a reserve player for the versatile player Duy Manh. Usually, the coaches will choose from a list of 10 midfielders or try out central defenders Tan Sinh or Dinh Trong in this position.

There are even football experts who have given advice to Van Hau, a young player of Hanoi FC who used to play in this position when playing for the youth team. Even Lam Ti Phong (Sanna.KH) was also arranged by coach Dinh Tan to play as a central midfielder thanks to his tall body and fierce ball fighting.

I wonder how Coach Huu Thang will calculate the many problems that need to be solved before flying to Malaysia?

AT