Looking back at the first 3 rounds of Song Lam Nghe An at V.League 2023/2024

Openawaken love in fans

After 3 rounds, Song Lam Nghe An has not achieved the desired results. The Vinh home team has only 2 points after 2 draws and 1 loss, currently ranked 11th on the V.League rankings. This is not too surprising for those who regularly follow domestic football. Because in this year's season, Song Lam Nghe An is the youngest team in V.League, consisting of players who are only around 20 years old. Among them are players born in 2005 who are testing their skills for the first time in the most fierce arena of Vietnamese football. Among them are Le Nguyen Hoang and Nguyen Quang Vinh, who first played in the National Football Championship when they were only 18 years old.

However, if we look at it fairly, in the first two rounds, Song Lam Nghe An showed a vibrant face. Coach Phan Nhu Thuat's students competed fairly with veteran teams such as Viettel and Hong Linh Ha Tinh. These two teams both have experienced strikers who have played for many years in the V.League. However, due to a lack of luck, the home team Vinh could not get the maximum number of points after the match ended. Notably, in the match of round 2, Song Lam Nghe An led the home team Ha Tinh for most of the match and only had to share points in the extra time with a classy goal by Dinh Thanh Trung.

Looking back at the first two matches, it can be seen that the love of fans for Song Lam Nghe An has been warmed up more than before. Because a team considered U23 Song Lam Nghe An played confidently, without any fear of the opponent. And the way the Vinh home team set up the defense system was also quite tight and scientific. Besides, the way of organizing the attack was diverse and highly variable. The ability to move of Nghe An players was also very flexible, so the passing and passing phases of Song Lam Nghe An often brought many effects in approaching the opponent's goal. In addition, with the desire of the young players, Song Lam Nghe An stepped onto the field with a fiery and dedicated playing style. Those were the new points, helping Song Lam Nghe An to arouse the love of the fans.

Revealing limitations

After a decent performance in the first two rounds, Song Lam Nghe An traveled to Thanh Hoa Stadium to face the reigning 2023 National Cup Champion. Nghe An fans had high hopes that the home team would score points in the Thanh Nghe Tinh derby. However, in this match, the youngest team in V.League began to show its limitations in experience, fragility, and weakness.

That is shown through the 3 goals that Thanh Hoa scored against Song Lam Nghe An. After Ho Khac Luong was injured, Song Lam Nghe An's defense became fragile and very easy to penetrate. Because although he does not have an ideal physique, Khac Luong is a reliable stopper that Song Lam Nghe An currently possesses. It can be affirmed that at this time, the Nghe team is lacking a quick, aggressive central defender who is not afraid of collision. Tran Dinh Hoang's talent cannot be denied, but his best position is full-back. And with his current age, Song Lam Nghe An's captain will find it difficult to overcome the strength of physically strong players like Rimario or Luiz Antonio.

Besides, with veteran Trong Hoang injured, Song Lam Nghe An's wing is lacking a player with the ability to both attack and defend.

Not only is the Nghe An team thin in terms of personnel, it also shows its limitations in experience. If it weren't for goalkeeper Van Viet's mistake, Song Lam Nghe An could have dreamed of a successful comeback. Because, after Xuan Tien and Nam Hai came on from the bench, the Nghe An team had a transformation in their attacking and defensive play. The ability to control the ball and escape pressure from the Thanh Hoa midfielders was performed quite smoothly and effectively by the trio Nam Hai, Xuan Tien, and Manh Quynh. With a coherent and diverse playing style, Song Lam Nghe An began to find the key to approaching Xuan Hoang's goal. Especially in the 60th minute, Dinh Xuan Tien made a beautiful overhead kick, pinning the ball into the top corner, leaving the opponent's goalkeeper helpless. The match score was shortened by Song Lam Nghe An to 1-2. After the goal, the fighting spirit of coach Phan Nhu Thuat's students increased, and more opportunities appeared in front of Xuan Hoang's goal.

However, with a mistake from goalkeeper Van Viet, Song Lam Nghe An no longer had a chance to hope for a point when leaving Thanh Hoa Stadium. The match then ended with a score of 3-1 in favor of the home team. It is known that Van Viet's mistake should not have happened in a match in the highest football league in Vietnam. However, if we look further, the above mistake will also be a necessary "vaccine" so that Van Viet can grow more mature in the future.

A loss is not a tragedy, the problem for Song Lam Nghe An now is to reflect on the weaknesses and find solutions to overcome those limitations. After the loss at Thanh Hoa Stadium, V.League 2023/2024 is on hiatus. This is a golden time for the Nghe team to perfect their playing style, as well as help players like Trong Hoang, Van Lam, Van Quy, and Van Luong fully recover from injuries. Hopefully, after V.League 2023/2024 returns in early December, Song Lam Nghe An will show new vitality, a more effective and fiery playing style./.