Hanoi FC - SLNA: Who will replace Pham Xuan Manh?

A big loss for the Nghe An football team

Having just returned from the 18th ASIAD tournament, Pham Xuan Manh and Phan Van Duc had to put on their shoes and enter the field to face FLC Thanh Hoa, in the second leg of the 2018 National Cup semi-final.

A 2-3 day break is not enough for Pham Xuan Manh to recover 100% of his physical strength after intense and fierce matches in the Vietnam Olympic team. Don’t forget, before joining the national team, Manh “Kalou” suffered an injury and could not play in the first leg of the semi-final against FLC Thanh Hoa (July 25).

The decision to use the duo Pham Xuan Manh - Phan Van Duc from the start in the match on September 5 was a risky move by SLNA's coaching staff.

In fact, we have to sympathize with coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his colleagues, because the duo of players from Yen Thanh are one of the most important players of the Nghe An team this season. Because of the "life or death" nature of the match, SLNA's coaching staff had to accept using Pham Xuan Manh and Phan Van Duc in the starting lineup.

Pham Xuan Manh has to rest for about a month due to injury.Photo: Trung Kien

Unfortunately, the calculations of coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his colleagues did not bring the expected results. SLNA lost to FLC Thanh Hoa 0-4 and was eliminated, while Pham Xuan Manh and Phan Van Duc suffered injuries of varying degrees.

According to the diagnosis of SLNA doctors, Pham Xuan Manh will have to “sit and watch” for about a month. This is a big loss, negatively affecting the strength of the Nghe An team. Simply put, Pham Xuan Manh’s importance to SLNA is not small.

The question now is, who will replace Manh "Kalou" in the left-back position?

In the hands of coach Nguyen Duc Thang at the present time, Pham Manh Hung, Vo Ngoc Duc and Ho Sy Sam - players who can play on the left wing of the defense. It is worth mentioning that all 3 faces above have not received the trust of SLNA's coaching board, because of their poor performances in the past.

Why not Hung "crossbar"?

Objectively speaking, of the three players mentioned above, Vo Ngoc Duc is the only one who is good at playing as a left-back and has left an impression (at the end of the 2014 season). However, in recent seasons, Vo Ngoc Duc has not been highly regarded by SLNA's coaching staff. It seems that the opportunity for the player from Quynh Luu to be a "substitute" for Pham Xuan Manh is extremely small.

The next face in the same situation as Vo Ngoc Duc is Ho Sy Sam. Although there was a time when SLNA's coaching staff pulled him back to play as a left-back, the player who is good at playing as a central midfielder has not shown much. Therefore, the possibility of Ho Sy Sam being replaced by Pham Xuan Manh is almost non-existent.

If Vo Ngoc Duc is in trouble, Ho Sy Sam is in trouble, then opportunities will open up for Pham Manh Hung.

Pham Manh Hung (number 33) is the best choice to replace Pham Xuan Manh. Photo: Archive

Since last season until now, Pham Manh Hung has been the player who often plays in the left-back position, whenever Pham Xuan Manh is absent or leaves the field.

But the player born in 1993 often makes extremely fatal mistakes. The slip that led to Nguyen Trong Hoang's goal or the cold-blooded tackle that led to the red card in the match SLNA 0 - 4 FLC Thanh Hoa, are clear proofs. Hung "crossbar" not only has unstable performance, but also an unstable playing mentality.

However, in the current situation, the option of using Pham Manh Hung is still considered the most by SLNA's coaching staff. The 25-year-old defender has good physique and fitness, and can also move inside to play as a third center back, next to Que Ngoc Hai - Hoang Van Khanh.

In the match against Hanoi FC, Pham Manh Hung will be the optimal choice to help SLNA’s defense neutralize Hoang Vu Samson, Oseni… of the home team. In short, replacing Pham Xuan Manh with Hung “crossbar” is reasonable./.

Thanh Hung