Will Lao wind help SLNA flourish?

(Baonghean.vn) - People often call Vinh Stadium a 'fire pan', not only because of the heat created by SLNA fans, but also because this stadium is really harsh due to weather conditions.

In the V.League in previous years, there was another “hot spot” called Cao Lanh in Dong Thap. This is considered the “holy land” of the team from the swamps. Any opponent coming here must accept a loss, at least a draw. Even strong opponents like Hanoi must stick out their tongues when playing in this stadium.

Not only is Dong Thap a tough opponent with high discipline, but the team's ability to withstand heat makes their opponents bow in defeat and hesitate before putting on their shoes to go out on the field.

In addition to the Cao Lanh fire pan, there is also Lam Dong's Da Lat stadium. In the 90s of the last century, when Lam Dong had not yet been relegated, every team that came here was frustrated. Many players who had just played until the end of the first half could not stand because the air was thin, the stadium was much higher than sea level. Even SLNA, a team with good physical strength at that time, often lost every time they went to Da Lat.

In the match against Hanoi, SLNA played better thanks to their ability to withstand the heat - Photo: Hai Thinh

As for the Nghe An team, SLNA is still highly regarded for its physical strength and ability to withstand the heat. Not to mention the period when Vinh Stadium did not have floodlights, so the matches in V.League had to be played in the hot noon sun. In V.League 2009, coach Nguyen Van Thinh and his team still made their opponents succumb to the scorching heat at Vinh Stadium at 4:00 pm.

That season, SLNA's foreign players were not much better than SLNA's foreign players now. However, the defensive counter-attacking style of play helped SLNA finish 3rd that season.

The match between SLNA and Hanoi just took place in the National Cup, SLNA played with only one foreign player Olaha, the reigning V.League champion used 3 foreign players on the field. However, SLNA did not play at a disadvantage, partly due to the extremely hot weather. The match had to stop many times for the players to drink water and clearly, SLNA played with better spirit and the opponent soon got tired due to exhaustion in the hot conditions.

Before the return leg of V.League 2017, SLNA can completely rely on this factor to exploit the weaknesses of other opponents when playing at Vinh Stadium or on the Central Stadium this summer. The temperature in the Central, specifically in Nghe An at this time is often over 40 degrees Celsius, if understanding the weather factor, SLNA's coaching staff will help the home team maximize the strengths of the players and the home field advantage.

The weather in Vinh will make it more difficult for opponents than SLNA - Photo: Trung Kien

When visiting Vinh Stadium, the away teams usually only have 1 day and 1 training session at Vinh Stadium to get used to the weather conditions here. And of course, if SLNA does not have better preparation than their opponents, they will have trouble right at home.

According to the V.League return match schedule, SLNA will host Than Quang Ninh in round 14, visit Quang Nam in round 15, and meet Ho Chi Minh City in round 16 before returning home to meet their arch-rivals Hanoi in round 17. In round 18, SLNA will also play at SHB Da Nang's Hoa Xuan Stadium.

Another issue that SLNA and the medical department need to pay attention to is that when breathing and resting in air-conditioned air in a cold room, stepping out onto the hot field to compete can easily cause players to suffer from heat shock and quickly lose strength.

By preparing well physically and applying this to the return leg, SLNA can completely improve their performance. When the going gets tough, it is also the time when SLNA needs to promote the characteristics and character of the Nghe people.

Trung Kien