Analyzing Song Lam Nghe An's squad before the match against Binh Duong

Trong Hoang brings a rare bright spot in Song Lam Nghe An's playing style. Photo: Chung Le

Dissecting the Existence

After 4 unsuccessful matches at the beginning of the season, a break of more than 1 month is considered "as precious as gold" for coach Huy Hoang to regain his spirit, refresh the squad and rebuild the playing style for the team.Lam River Nghe AnHowever, the Nghe An coach only achieved 1 of those 3 criteria in the opening match of the 2023 National Cup. Therefore, the series of bad results still haunts Song Lam Nghe An even though they only have to face Quang Nam, a team playing in the First Division. The only change that fans see in the Vinh home team comes from changing the personnel positions on the field.

Accordingly, Xuan Manh was withdrawn from the anchor midfielder position to move back to his preferred position as a left-back. However, the player wearing the number 7 shirt has not yet been able to fully demonstrate his ability as when he played alongside Van Duc. Xuan Manh only played well when he was able to neutralize most of the opponents' attacks on the left wing.

The lowest player in the midfield of Song Lam Nghe An in the match against Quang Nam was Bui Dinh Chau. This midfielder still showed his strength in blocking situations, but his ability to escape pressing and launch attacks was still not up to standard.

The only bright spot that Song Lam Nghe An had in the match against Khanh Hoa was the impressive performance of veteran midfielder Trong Hoang. Except for the unsuccessful penalty kick, the former national player played with great effort throughout the rest of the match. Besides the only goal for Song Lam Nghe An, Trong Hoang also provided high-quality passes and breakthroughs.

Que Ngoc Hai was no longer himself when he returned to play for Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Chung Le.

The reason why Song Lam Nghe An cannot improve their playing style is because the players are not equipped with the ability to move flexibly when they have the ball and when they receive it. The Nghe coaching staff needs to establish a team structure so that the players can pass the ball to each other more easily. These limitations cause Song Lam Nghe An players to make many wrong passes, easily losing the ball when the opponent approaches.

On the defensive front, Nghe An players also failed to anticipate the next situations, leading to being completely passive after the ball bounced back, typically in the goal conceded in the match against Quang Nam. In addition, the lack of confidence still prevailed in each player of Song Lam Nghe An. They had more than a month to regain their spirits, but still played as if they were "wearing lead on their feet". That led to the players making many mistakes in handling the game against a well-organized and disciplined Quang Nam team.

Looking forward to the first win

So with the above limitations, does Song Lam Nghe An have a chance to win full points against Binh Duong when playing at Vinh Stadium in round 5 of V.League 2023?

It must be affirmed that Binh Duong is a much stronger team than Quang Nam, when possessing a fairly even force with outstanding factors such as Tien Linh, Bui Vi Hao, Rimario, Moses ... However, in the first 4 rounds of V.League, the Dat Thu team did not achieve the desired results. Therefore, Binh Duong decided to fire coach Lu Dinh Tuan to appoint coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan. In more than 1 month of rebuilding the playing style for the "Eastern whirlwind", this team has shown a completely new face, with a convincing 4-0 victory over Hue at the 2023 National Cup. Players such as Bui Vi Hao, Tuan Canh, Duy Khanh, Trung Hieu ... seem to be given a new breath of life, with quite impressive performances. In particular, striker Tien Linh has quenched his thirst for goals. This is a great encouragement for Tien Linh and his teammates when they have to play away at Vinh Stadium in round 5 of V.League.

In addition, in this round 5, Binh Duong will certainly field the foreign duo Moses and Rimario - 2 players who have created a brand in the V.League arena. Therefore, for Song Lam Nghe An to achieve a positive result against the Dat Thu team is not an easy thing, even though the Nghe club is playing at home.

The duo Soladio and Olaha have gradually found a common voice. Photo: Duc Anh

That does not mean that Song Lam Nghe An will have no chance against Binh Duong. Remember, in this match, Huy Hoang's team will have the return of foreign players Vytas, Olaha and Soladio. These are necessary additions for both attack and defense.

Most likely, coach Huy Hoang will enter the match with the familiar 3-5-2 formation. At that time, foreign player Vytas will take on the role of playing in the center of the defense and neutralizing Rimario is probably not too difficult for this center-back with outstanding physical strength. Besides, Tien Linh and Vy Hao will also not have an easy time when they are cared for by Que Ngoc Hai and Dinh Hoang.

On the attacking front, after 3 matches playing together in the V.League, the duo Soladio and Olaha found a common voice in the match of round 4. During the away match in Khanh Hoa, Olaha made a fast dribble on the left wing and then crossed for Soladio to choose a suitable position and successfully finish. If this duo continues to play well and receive effective support from Xuan Tien and Trong Hoang, Song Lam Nghe An can completely open the door to Binh Duong's goal.

Besides, since 2018 until now, in all confrontations, Binh Duong has had to accept defeat against Song Lam Nghe An. The signals analyzed above give fans a basis to believe that Song Lam Nghe An has a chance to win its first victory this season.

The match between Song Lam Nghe An and Binh Duong in round 5 of V.League 2023 will take place at 6:00 p.m. on April 7 at Vinh Stadium.