Looking back at round 18 of V-League of Song Lam Nghe An

This is very strange because the Vinh Stadium team was "born and raised" from a defensive tradition. The coachesLam River Nghe AnThe players chosen were all "famous experts" in defense such as Huu Thang, Duc Thang, Huy Hoang... In the series of 6 consecutive matches (3 draws, 3 losses), it should be remembered that Song Lam Nghe An only missed top central defender Ngoc Hai for more than 2 matches due to suspension, but the result was still the same, showing that the whole "system" had big problems, both deep defense and long-range defense, both the unstable goalkeeper and the lack of a real defensive midfielder in the squad.

Due to ineffective performance, penalty cards and some other reasons, Huy Hoang has recently had to constantly change the lineup. The match at Hong Linh Ha Tinh Stadium had 4 new positions compared to the previous match at Vinh Stadium against Viettel, leading to a change in playing style with Xuan Manh being pulled to the wing as before, Van Duc being the highest player in the attack line but things are still not much better than before.

Oseni and his teammates celebrate after scoring the equalizer for Song Lam Nghe An in the match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh in round 18 of V-League. Photo: Chung Le

The match was exciting, the two teams seemed to open up opportunities but the away team was unexpectedly led from the corner kick situation as mentioned above, so whether Huy Hoang wanted to or not, he had to bring Oseni onto the field and replace a midfielder (Van Lam) even though this player did not play badly. Oseni scored in both matches against neighbor Hong Linh Ha Tinh but that was not enough to help the Vinh team overcome the difficult period that has lasted for more than 6 rounds.

Never before have Nghe An fans seen the blandness and tastelessness of Song Lam Nghe An's foreign players like they do now. The trusted player who plays regularly like Olaha has only scored a few goals and has not assisted or scored for a long time. Oseni is not physically fit enough to "drive" the whole match and can only play the second half. Midfielder Mario only entered the field for the last few minutes of the match and, as always, only had a flash of light for a second, the whole match was pitch black...

It is worth mentioning that in this fierce and fair away match, the Song Lam Nghe An players met many "old friends" who were "born and raised" on Vinh Stadium such as Phi Son, Dau Van Toan, Sy Nam... Having the same teacher, same class, promoted to the first team, going through many hardships and struggles to make a living, becoming "professional" after each match, they were truly each other's opponents in every move.

Not to mention, except for Phi Son who played extremely well before and left Song Lam, the remaining players are not real pillars, their contracts have expired and they cannot be retained, so now, more or less, they still want to prove themselves, want to show more than 100% of their inherent ability against their old team. Van Toan lies on the field continuously, then is forced to be replaced, showing that. Not to mention on the coaching bench, Thanh Cong is a former Song Lam player. He may not be successful when playing, but when he is a coach, he is a "cool hand" and is chosen by many places to place his trust, including the close neighbor Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Is that why the past is holding Song Lam back from moving forward?

Tran Dinh Tien made an accurate pass to help Oseni score for Song Lam Nghe An in the match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh in round 18 of V-League. Photo: Chung Le

Recently, two teams that were once considered championship candidates, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Song Lam Nghe An, have both fallen into decline, playing like chickens with their hair caught in their hair, losing all motivation as they once did. Each team has its own reasons, different underlying causes, but they have one thing in common: their ability is only that much, wanting more is impossible. The team from the Mountain City is only good when playing friendly matches, but when competing fiercely, they reveal their true colors as a weak team. Song Lam Nghe An was aggressive in the first phase, had some matches that were even better than excellent, but in the decisive phase, they were sluggish, as if waiting for something near and far, it is difficult to compare. No one should underestimate the inherent ability of this experienced domestic squad. But no one should overestimate everything about them when the V-League is a story of good at first, bad at last...

Now the story of the top 3 players mentioned at the beginning of the season of Song Lam Nghe An is drifting into the past. Blaming the coaching staff and players for one hour means blaming the person who takes responsibility for 10 hours, because of their half-hearted and broken ambitions. The poor team that lost to their younger brothers and sisters, so their poor performance, is an old story, everyone can share. But now everything is different, the team has improved but gradually returned to the old path of misery, only drawing and losing? Huy Hoang had to suffer the first match, but looking closely, objectively, it's not just that, it's not just one person directly?