Is SLNA a 'supporting actor' on Lach Tray field?

The head-to-head history is temporarily in favor of the away team Song Lam Nghe An when in the first 20 matches they won 8, lost 7 and drew 5. But looking at the 13-match unbeaten streak (9 wins, 4 draws) of coach Chu Dinh Nghiem and his team, no one believes that Song Lam Nghe An can ruin the "festival" of V.League 2022 for the audience of Hai Phong.

V.League 2022 "afternoon market" scenario

Opportunity to shine for young players from Nghe An. Photo: SLFC

With only two rounds left in the V.League, Hanoi FC (47 points, 2 matches left), Hai Phong (45 points, 1 match left) and Binh Dinh (41 points, 2 matches left), meaning that three teams still have hope of winning the championship. But the most likely scenario is that Hanoi FC will win 1 point at Hang Day Stadium, enough to win the championship 1 round early, while the home team Hai Phong will be determined to win all 3 points to secure the runner-up position.

In the last 3 times coming to Lach Tray stadium, Nghe An team lost 2, drew 1. This meeting with a gap of 15 points, not many fans believe that coach Huy Hoang can do anything, even when Rimario is banned from playing due to receiving 3 yellow cards. In his first season in charge of Hai Phong team, the coach with the most achievements on the Vietnamese football field showed how good he is.

If they beat SLNA, host Hai Phong will certainly finish in 2nd place in V.League 2022. Photo: VPF.

Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem quickly abandoned the clinch-boom style of Hai Phong in the "Song Lam Nghe An 2.0" era with the trio of Hoang Anh Gia Lai players Chau Ngoc Quang, Trieu Viet Hung, Dung Quang Nho. They, along with Hai Huy and Moses, formed the "backbone" of the style of play that focused on holding the ball, developing short and medium-range passes.

Not having much time to prepare for the season, Mr. Chu Dinh Nghiem has exploited the strengths of the three foreign players Rimario, Mpande, and Moses to the fullest. With 17 goals, Rimario became the top scorer of the season, while Mpande had a good season playing as a center back and a striker. Moses is an effective "sweeper" so that Hai Phong can play well in the 4-1-4-1 formation without worrying about lacking people in the midfield area. Surprisingly, Le Manh Dung and Phu Nguyen, two players from Song Lam Nghe An, also played successfully for Hai Phong under the direction of the new coach Chu.

What to expect

In such a context, it is extremely difficult for Song Lam Nghe An to get points at Lach Tray Stadium, not to mention the defense will become more fragile when Que Ngoc Hai is banned from playing. That said, it is not that the coaching staff and players of Song Lam Nghe An no longer have a goal for 90 minutes at Lach Tray Stadium. Simply, behind, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Binh Duong and Thanh Hoa teams are only 2 points behind the Nghe team and are ready to take the 5th position of the Nghe team. For the audience, people expect a positive attitude from the young players in the context of the "afternoon market", do not soon become "supporting actors" in the home team's celebration.

This is also the time for the coaching board to evaluate the next season's contracts for the three foreign players of Song Lam Nghe An, who will replace the domestic players who did not sign new contracts. The members of the coaching board of the Nghe An team will have to answer the question: Is Song Lam Nghe An suitable for the 3-defender formation? Which young players have passed the test and met the requirements for next season?

The remaining two matches of the season, including the match at Lach Tray Stadium, also have effects on the sponsor. For sponsor Tan Long, after 1 year of getting acquainted with the Vietnamese football field, he must have learned many great lessons. Before the last 2 rounds of the season, Song Lam Nghe An is 11 points away from the top 3 and 17 points away from Hanoi FC, so is it necessary to declare the goal of winning the V.League 2022? Looking at the current composition of the Song Lam Nghe An coaching staff, what does Tan Long think needs to change if they want to achieve high results next season?