National U13 Finals, the mark of former 'steel' center back Nguyen Huy Hoang

(Baonghean.vn) - As the host and the team considered a candidate for the championship of this year's National U13 Tournament, U13 SLNA's achievement of reaching the semi-finals bears the mark of Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang.

Heart for students, for profession

Compared to Huy Hoang before, the current coach of SLNA U13 team seems to have transformed into a new person. However, he still fully demonstrates his fiery and enthusiastic qualities in the role of a teacher and a coach.

The SLNA U13 team led by former national player Nguyen Huy Hoang is making its opponents lose convincingly at the 2017 National U13 Finals held at home. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Being a teacher standing on the podium is already a hard job, shouting and repeating each movement for the students requires even more effort and dedication. Under the scorching sun of Thanh Vinh, there are sweaty practice sessions for both teachers and students, but there is a common feeling that they are truly living as themselves. There is only room for passion and desire.

Since taking on the role of coach of the U10 team, who were too young to understand what football was, to the U11 team and now the SLNA U13 team, Huy Hoang has passed on to them everything he has. From the first moves, the most basic handling, the former 'steel' center back of SLNA seems to have forgotten the past glory to focus on teaching and polishing the "rough gems".

If we look at the billion-dollar contracts that Huy Hoang refused to stay and dedicate his life to SLNA and the current regime and treatment as a youth team coach (about 5-6 million), it is really unfair to him. However, for a person with the courage like Huy Hoang, that does not affect his passion for the job.

It has been 4 years since he returned to SLNA as a coach. Every year, when the finals come, the former SLNA midfielder's voice becomes hoarse and his face becomes sunburned. Perhaps life may be more difficult now, but surely the legend of Nghe An football is satisfied with the simple joys on the training ground.

No matter where Huy Hoang goes or what he does, fans will never forget the situations where this central defender threw himself into the air and tried to block the ball when he was still playing. Those were also the high-class hooking moves that made opponents terrified. At the same time, they were a spiritual support for teammates to be confident against all opponents, in all circumstances.

Optimistic for the future

At the U13 National Finals, people saw that spirit in the playing style of U13 SLNA in each match. A beautiful, convincing playing style and a winning mentality. And there were also hook shots that were typical of the coach. Maybe in the first match against SHB Da Nang, the nature of the opening match made Coach Huy Hoang's students somewhat overwhelmed and held back. But in the 2 wins against Phu Nhuan and Binh Phuoc, U13 SLNA began to reach their peak form.

Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang is "passing on his skills" to his students with all his heart. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang's most obvious tactical mark was in the quarter-final match against U13 Binh Duong. From switching from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-1-4-1, in which midfielder number 7 - Tin Phong played as a holding midfielder, receiving the ball from attacking midfielders like Ba Ha - Anh Quan, the home team played completely overwhelmingly, not giving the opponent any counter-attack opportunities. The gameplay was also much smoother, more eye-catching and more cohesive. And Binh Duong's equalizer in the last minute could only come thanks to a moment of carelessness from goalkeeper Xuan Son and luck.

It can be said that in that match, Coach Nguyen Huy Hoang's students made things difficult for themselves when they took the lead but let their opponents equalize in the last seconds. However, if they won so easily, we would not see the true spirit of U13 SLNA, the team that is considered a candidate for the championship.

In the nerve-wracking penalty shootout, it was clear that goalkeeper Xuan Son and the SLNA U13 players would be the ones who were more mentally challenged, but their performance on the field was completely different. Behind the young players was Nguyen Huy Hoang, a former high-class central defender with a wealth of experience having gone through countless nerve-wracking matches, at all levels of the club and national team.

Not only has solid expertise and a passion for the profession, Nguyen Huy Hoang is also a talented coach in pedagogy. Those are the comments of Japanese coaches when working with him. In the quarter-final match, U13 SLNA was unlucky, but his students won with their own strength.

SLNA’s opponent in the semi-final is HAGL, a team with a balanced squad in terms of both physical strength and professional qualities, which will be a formidable challenge for the home team. However, regardless of the final result, what coach Nguyen Huy Hoang and his team have shown in this year’s finals is still considered the first sweet fruits. After all, in youth football training, achievements are not the final destination./.

Trung Kien