Long An - SLNA: Home team 'breaks curse'?

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of January 22 at Long An Stadium, Coach Ngo Quang Sang and his team will face off against guests from Nghe An. This match is very noteworthy due to the current situation of the two teams and the fate that has been going on for over a decade.

In the last round 3, once again coach Nguyen Duc Thang's students lost 2 points in extra time. It was those unfortunate "incidents" that made SLNA still not have a single victory after the first 3 matches, even though Nguyen Manh and his teammates played 2 matches at home.

All difficulties are surrounding the Nghe An team, from the results on the field and in the stands, from the performance to the position on the rankings. If SLNA does not achieve a positive result in just one more match, they will fall into a real crisis. To quickly escape that scary scenario, there is no other way than to win against Long An in this round 4.

In theory, that's true, but whether it can be done or not is another story. Regardless of how strong coach Ngo Quang Sang and his team are, the Nghe An team itself is facing many difficult problems. The defense lacks courage, often conceding goals quite easily under pressure from the opposing players. The attacks that are not highly rated such as XSKT Can Tho and S. Khanh Hoa also easily forced goalkeeper Nguyen Manh to pick the ball out of the net after not-so-dangerous situations, showing the fragility of the wall built by Ngoc Hai - Van Khanh...

Phi Son scored against Long An in the second leg of the 2016 season. Illustrative photo.

With SLNA's "purely domestic" defense, the ability to fight in the air is the "weakness" that opponents with foreign strikers can exploit. In the current situation, SLNA's coaching staff is finding it difficult to find an effective solution to overcome the weakness that has been exposed for a long time. Everything depends on the high concentration, the excellent performance of Van Khanh, Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Manh... and in dead ball situations, the support of Olaha, Henry when retreating. Otherwise, SLNA's coaching staff and fans will still have to "heart attack" before the opponent's attacks, especially in the final minutes of the match.

The defense is showing chronic errors, the players on the attack line have not brought satisfaction to the SLNA coaching board. In the 2 matches with XSKT Can Tho and S. Khanh Hoa, the Nghe An team's forward line played quite cohesively with coordinated situations that had real lines. However, the ability to take advantage of opportunities to convert into goals, Phi Son, Henry, Olaha, The Cuong, Khac Ngoc still did not do their job well. If these strikers were more precise and sharper, SLNA would not have to suffer such a loss of points.

This trip to the South, the Nghe An team brought with them an unbeaten record against host Long An on away field since the inception of V. League. Last season, in the return match between the two teams, Phi Son and Tuan Tai scored together to help SLNA beat Long An with a score of 2 - 1. These past advantages will be the basis for coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team to have confidence in achieving favorable results on Long An field in round 4 of V. League 2017.

On the other hand, entering this season, Long An has made major changes in terms of force. Experienced players such as Quy Suu and Danh Ngoc were brought in to join veterans Quang Thanh and Tai Em to support the youth of Hoang Lam, Phan Tan Tai, and Huynh Tan Tai... In particular, the presence of the foreign duo Oseni and Apollon promises to help coach Ngo Quang Sang successfully solve the problem of goals. While Apollon is an unknown factor that will bring surprises to the opposing defenses, Oseni has proven his talent with 10 goals for XSKT Can Tho in V. League 2016.

Striker Oseni is a dangerous spearhead for SLNA's defense. Photo: Internet.

Thanks to the quality additions, after 3 matches in V. League 2017, Long An has 4 points with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. Such a result is acceptable for the strength of coach Ngo Quang Sang and his team. Meeting an opponent in a dire situation like SLNA, is a better opportunity for the home team Long An to win 3 points and erase the streak of not winning against the Nghe team that has existed for many years. If they can do that, Long An will have a certain advantage on the way to escape relegation with the remaining opponents, including SLNA.

Possessing the foreign duo Oseni - Apollon in the attack, coach Ngo Quang Sang will certainly instruct his students to thoroughly push the ball for these two killers to approach goalkeeper Nguyen Manh's goal. Obviously, this is a simple but extremely dangerous attack in the context of SLNA's defense often making serious mistakes. Along with that, the team from the Southwest region also does not forget to arrange a plan to lock down the dangerous strikers on the away team.

With home field advantage, spirit and form better than the opponent, Long An will have many opportunities to win 3 points against the Nghe team. Everything is still just a guess, who wins, who loses, we have to wait until the referee's final whistle to know.

Tram Uyen