Many players participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup will be the core of U11 SLNA participating in the national tournament.

Coach Tran Ngoc Tuan (SLNA U11 team): "Many surprises..."
The teams that had good squad quality last year are still well prepared and have depth this year, such as Hoang Mai, Tan Ky, Nghia Dan, especially the players who have gone to SLNA to train. Overall, the quality of this year's tournament is very good, there are some very intense matches in the tournament, such as Dien Chau - Yen Thanh or Hoang Mai - Nghia Dan. Only the team that is well prepared, has high determination, plus a little luck can win.
The case that makes me feel most regretful is Vinh City Football Team. That is a very high-quality team, the core of the team that participated in the qualifying round of the National Youth Football Tournament, but in this tournament they did not pass the group stage. Along with the two Yen Thanh teams becoming former champions, the tournament has proven to be more fiercely competitive and of higher quality. From this playground, SLNA has proactively sourced young players. In the near future, the SLNA team participating in the final round of the National Youth Football Tournament will have quality players spread across almost all districts.

The quality of the teams at the Youth Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup is getting narrower, making the matches more dramatic and exciting. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Coach Cao Thanh Xuan (Quy Hop ND team): "The gap between teams is narrowing"

This year, the tournament is more difficult than previous years, in which the quality of the highland teams has been raised a lot, while many strong teams from the plains such as Vinh City, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Dien Chau or Do Luong, Yen Thanh could not reach the final match. Previously, teams from the highlands were considered difficult to compete for medals with teams with better conditions, but this year, with the two teams Tan Ky and ND Quy Hop reaching the final, that gap has been narrowed. In that journey, there were lucky teams, there were teams that overcame the challenges against strong teams to go deep into the tournament.

Overall, this year’s tournament has many advantages for the highland teams. The teams all have amateur talent classes, have been trained and competed a lot, so the quality of the players is almost equal to that of the strong teams. In my opinion, in the coming years, the level of the teams will be more even, and the competition will be increasingly fierce.
In particular, the support from the province and sponsors has greatly encouraged the teams and reduced the financial burden for the districts. During the Youth-Individual Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup, the children had the opportunity to interact with the teams and thus learned many things. Especially, being able to watch the match between SLNA and HAGL in the V.League also increased the motivation and excitement for the children.

Coach Mai Thai Uy (ND Tan Ky team): "The tournament's organization is very good"

This year, all teams are well prepared and have equal quality and level. Only a few teams such as Ky Son, Con Cuong, and Tuong Duong are at a disadvantage. The remaining opponents must rely on luck to win, and the quality of the players is also balanced and complete because most of them are in the amateur classes of SLNA Club.
The tournament is very well organized and gives young players the opportunity to compete and grow. From the refereeing to the quality of the playing field... It can be said that the tournament is increasingly receiving the attention and support of parents and is becoming more and more attractive.

The gap between teams in this tournament has narrowed. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Coach Nguyen Ngoc Anh (Deputy Head of Training Department of SLNA Club): "Player quality is even"

This year, the players are somewhat limited in terms of physique, and their talent is not as good as previous generations. However, many matches are more exciting because the teams are more balanced. In previous seasons, there were teams that were clearly superior, such as the defending champion Yen Thanh, or this year, Vinh City, who were eliminated in the group stage.
This year's tournament does not have as many new players as previous years, but there are many children born in 2009 with great potential, who have proven their talent, so SLNA will select them to add to the SLNA U11 force to participate in the 2020 National Children's Tournament. Among them are players from Dien Chau, Hoang Mai, Thanh Chuong...

Trung Kien