Pham Xuan Manh's impressive return after serious injury

Despite returning from a serious injury that forced him to rest for a long time, Xuan Manh played the full 90 minutes in the match against Hai Phong in round 9 of V.League 2019.

SLNA continued to have a dull draw without a goal. However, if we had to choose the most impressive highlight of the Nghe An team, it would be none other than Pham Xuan Manh's performance.

Positioned as a left midfielder by coach Duc Thang, Xuan Manh has shown to integrate very well into SLNA's 4-4-2 tactical system.

Xuan Manh returned from injury and played the full 90 minutes of the match against Hai Phong in round 9. Photo: VPF

After two disappointing draws against Nam Dinh and Viettel, SLNA has clearly shown its weakness in attack when the strikers and attacking midfielders have lost their ability to create breakthroughs. However, with Xuan Manh in the squad, the attack front seems to have become brighter. It was Xuan Manh who created the clearest chance in the first half of the match.

In the 47th minute of the match, in a situation of penetrating the home team's penalty area, Xuan Manh cleverly chose a position to receive a pass from Khac Ngoc and made an extremely technical header. However, although his shot defeated goalkeeper Van Toan, it could not beat the home team's goalpost.

Not only is Xuan Manh a player who directly creates scoring opportunities, he is also a factor that makes the home team's defense work hard every time SLNA attacks. With his strong physical foundation, Xuan Manh often makes Hai Phong's right wing work at full capacity.

Xuan Manh was the biggest bright spot of the Nghe An team in this match. Photo: VPF

In the 46th minute of the match, in a sprint from the wing into the home team's penalty area, Xuan Manh forced defender Van Quy to impact and cause Xuan Manh to fall in the penalty area. Unfortunately, that sensitive situation was not recognized as a foul by the referee, otherwise SLNA would have been awarded a valuable penalty.

Not only active in attack, Xuan Manh still seems to not forget his strong duty which is to support the defense. SLNA's defense has played stably after 4 rounds without conceding any goals and seems to be even more solid thanks to the steel on the left wing where Pham Xuan Manh played in this match.

Xuan Manh had an impressive performance when he returned to play after a serious injury. Photo: VPF

SLNA continued to have another 0-0 draw in round 9 against Hai Phong. The Nghe An team still cannot find an optimal solution for the attack when Van Duc has not returned.

However, coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team seems to have started to find new options on the attacking front and the defense is even more assured with the presence of Manh "Kalou" in the next rounds of V.League 2019.

Dear Bao