Ho Tuan Tai: SLNA's difficult problem
(Baonghean.vn) - Since the 29th SEA Games, Ho Tuan Tai has matured a lot, but that is not enough for the young striker of SLNA to regain his balance and play to his full potential.
At the age of 16, Tuan Tai was the top scorer of the 2012 National U17 Championship. A year later, this player continued to be the top scorer of the National U19 Championship. It can be said that Ho Tuan Tai's starting point was much better than many other leading stars of Vietnamese football. In the 2014 Vietnam U19 jersey, Ho Tuan Tai was even the number 1 choice on the attack line along with Cong Phuong, Van Toan...
In 2015, Ho Tuan Tai reunited with his old coach Ngo Quang Truong and was promoted quite a bit. Despite having to compete with foreign players for a starting position, the 1995-born player still managed to play 12 matches. In his first season, the gap between youth football and top-level football meant that Tuan Tai only scored 1 goal.
A year later, Tuan Tai has gradually released the pressure, forgotten his own shadow and somewhat shown his progress with 5 goals in 17 appearances (11 starts).
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| Striker Ho Tuan Tai with two U23 players Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh in the SLNA youth team jersey. Photo: SLNA FC |
It should be noted that Tuan Tai's scoring record far exceeds that of his senior Nguyen Dinh Bao, the player known as the "king of youth tournaments" who is currently playing for Hai Phong Club. Returning from XSKT Can Tho on loan, in the first two seasons playing for SLNA in 2014 and 2015, the player born in 1991 did not score any goals. At that time, Dinh Bao played 10 matches/season and each match only lasted 30-40 minutes. His talent was 9 out of 10, but more playing opportunities helped Tuan Tai have a chance to perform.
Before coming to SEA Games 29, Tuan Tai was injured but at the last minute, Coach Huu Thang still put his faith in Tuan Tai's recovery. Although he scored, in the decisive match against U23 Indonesia and Thailand, Tuan Tai showed his lack of luck, leaving behind a lot of disappointment. After all, Vietnamese football has no more excellent striker and Tuan Tai's ability and experience are only that much. Despite being under a lot of pressure and criticism, but to be fair, Coach Huu Thang has bet his honor on his student's progress.
Returning from the 29th SEA Games with a bitter defeat, Tuan Tai was one of the most criticized players and also under the most pressure. In V.League 2017, everything was back to normal, Tuan Tai scored 1 goal in 8 matches coming off the bench.
Not being named in the U23 Vietnam squad for the U23 Asian Cup due to injury, Tuan Tai struggled with the most unforgettable days of his career to practice. In the AFC Cup 2018, the young SLNA striker was chosen by coach Nguyen Duc Thang to start the match against Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia). He did not score, but his defensive role and contribution to the overall play were significant. There were still smart and fast runs, but Tuan Tai's decisive control and his leaden feet had not yet regained their inherent grace and decisiveness. Things got worse in the match against Perija Jakarta, Tuan Tai only had one shot on target.
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| Ho Tuan Tai is too unlucky in front of the opponent's goal. Photo: Document |
Thus, in 3 matches at the AFC Cup, an average of 53 minutes/match, Tuan Tai has not met expectations with 26/32 successful passes, 1/5 shots on target and no goals.
Knowing that it is very difficult for a striker to play well and improve, coach Duc Thang is still very patient. The head coach of SLNA said: “In the past, I have always created conditions for Tuan Tai on the training ground as well as before the match. I always encourage Tuan Tai, he can play as many minutes as he wants but he has to leave something behind, assert himself. Football is a team sport and scoring goals is not important. I always want young players to play in a comfortable state and never put pressure on themselves.”
Returning to Dinh Bao's story, this former SLNA striker, when he arrived at Hai Phong at the age of 25, completely transformed with 12 goals in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, partly due to being given more playing opportunities.
Therefore, there is no other way, besides Tuan Tai's efforts and will, this player needs more opportunities and time to get rid of the psychological burden./.
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