Will SLNA have to "love again from the beginning"?

In the last two matches, SLNA has had problems in attack when they failed to score any goals in both matches against FLC Thanh Hoa and Hanoi FC.

To be fair, FLC Thanh Hoa and Hanoi FC are stronger than the "defeated generals" Hai Phong, B.Binh Duong, SXKT.Can Tho, Saigon, Nam Dinh, Quang Nam, HAGL. In the second leg of the National Cup semi-finals, FLC Thanh Hoa players had a more reasonable strategy when playing at home a lot.

Cannot "rehash old book"

In the 8 victories in V-League 2018 and the victory at Thanh Hoa in the National Cup, SLNA had a familiar scenario. The midfielders held the ball tightly, suddenly sent long passes to Olaha, Lynch Jemie or the wingers who used their speed to run past the opposing defenders and score.

Not only foreign players but also players Ho Phuc Tinh, Phan Van Duc, Cao Xuan Thang, Xuan Toan… when confident can handle high-speed attacks neatly. Especially when scoring first, this style of play ensures the safety of the defense, and when the players are mentally comfortable, they can completely control the situation.

SLNA encountered many difficulties during their away trip to Hang Day Stadium.

Both coach Duc Thang (FLC Thanh Hoa) and Chu Dinh Nghiem (Hanoi FC) have studied this style of play of the Nghe An team quite carefully. Instead of attacking the flanks, players Rimario, Pape Oma, Van Thang, and Trong Hoang continuously attacked the center, forcing Khac Ngoc, Olaha, and Ngoc Toan to retreat quite deep to join the second line of defense.

Thus, the accuracy and surprise of SLNA's flank passes were no longer as effective as before. Defenders Tien Thanh and Minh Tung easily neutralized SLNA's attacks because the pressure was not great and the number of attacking players was small.

At Hang Day Stadium, there were many times when the home field of Hanoi FC was empty, goalkeeper Van Cong (HN FC) even went up to the center circle. SLNA used the "wings" of Xuan Thang, Xuan Toan and then The Cuong, Phuc Tinh but only in the last 20 minutes, after being behind, did the ball appear in the opponent's field.

The ability to hold the ball and disrupt the play of Thanh Luong and Quang Hai as well as the physical play of Moses, Oseni and then Hoang Vu Olaleye Samson paralyzed SLNA's two wings.

Olaha dropped deep to defend, so when Lynch Jemie had the ball, he could not develop the attack because he had no support. Quang Hai and Moses pushed Van Binh, Khac Ngoc and Olaha back to their own field, losing an important link in the counter-attacking style.

Love again from the beginning

The next 5 opponents of the Nghe An team are SHB.Da Nang, Than Quang Ninh, FLC Thanh Hoa, S.Khanh Hoa and TP HCM. Except for TP HCM who is considered to be the underdog, SHB.Da Nang without Do Merlo is no longer as strong as before, while Than Quang Ninh, FLC Thanh Hoa, S.Khanh Hoa are all difficult opponents.

Van Duc (left) is a player who is not picky about the ball and can handle difficult passes from his teammates..Photo courtesy

Because the midfield of these 5 opponents is not as strong as Hanoi FC, it means that Van Binh, Khac Ngoc and Olaha will have a chance to play higher up the pitch. But among the wingers Ho Phuc Tinh, Cao Xuan Thang, Xuan Toan, The Cuong, there is no player who plays as dynamically and effectively as Phan Van Duc.

In SLNA's winning streak, Van Duc has an extremely important role. This Vietnamese Olympic player has good personal technique, can shoot with both feet, and has the best aerial ability in the Nghe An team.

The most important thing is that Van Duc is not picky about the ball, can handle the difficult passes of his teammates neatly. The remaining midfielders of SLNA have different strengths and weaknesses, but no one has reached the level of handling the ball in a variety of high-speed passes like Van Duc.

Narrow the gap

Up to now, on the attack line, Coach Duc Thang still has 1 choice in the midfield position, which is Ho Tuan Tai. In recent years, this number 10 player has been assigned to play on the wing many times and has played at a good level. Tuan Tai is also a player with speed and good jumping ability. Tuan Tai's weakness is the ability to press and sweep when facing the opponent's defender.

Tuan Tai is also a fast player with good jumping ability. Photo: Document

According to the assessment, in the 5 opponents mentioned above, except for FLC Thanh Hoa players using the strategy of breaking the opponent's play, the remaining teams, if confident SLNA can play fairly. Van Binh and Khac Ngoc need to limit long passes by holding the ball firmly, moving close to the opponent's goal to make decisive passes.

At the end of the season, the players' physical strength will decrease, requiring SLNA's coaching board to consider a plan to rotate personnel. The most important thing is that the club's leadership and SLNA's coaching board need to do a good job of psychologically supporting the players after the last two losses.

An Thanh