Song Lam Nghe An need a foreign player for the central midfielder position?

Looking at the current SLNA domestic player list, there are up to 5 players who can play in the central midfielder position such as Vuong Quoc Trung, Dang Van Lam, Bui Dinh Chau, Ho Sy Sam and Nguyen Van Duc. Among them, midfielder Vuong Quoc Trung is the one with the most experience in V.League with a total of 109 matches in the colors of clubs such as Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa.

During his time playing for Hai Phong Club, Vuong Quoc Trung was once called up to the national team by coach Toshiya Miura in 2015. That was the best period of performance for the player born in 1990. Now, when returning to SLNA after many years, the ability to integrate into the common playing style with a group of young players will be a problem for him.

Young players like Dang Van Lam need an experienced player to lead them. Photo: Trung Kien

Midfielder Ho Sy Sam is the second face in the calculation of coach Ngo Quang Truong. However, the midfielder born in 1993 is still quite far behind his former teammates such as Vo Ngoc Toan or Ho Khac Ngoc, who have left SLNA.

The ability to handle the ball in a narrow area and the ability to make accurate passes are the weaknesses of this midfielder. That is the reason why during 7 years playing for SLNA, he only had an average of 5 starting matches per season, mainly coming off the bench.

Midfielder Bui Dinh Chau was born in 1996, in the same generation as Phan Van Duc - Pham Xuan Manh, and won the title of best player of the National U17 Finals in 2012. His strengths are his strong physical strength and fiery playing style. However, his weakness is that he has never been tested in the very fierce V.League.

SLNA has found a foreign striker to pair with Tuan Tai, Peter Onedykachi - former U23 Nigeria player. Photo: Duc Anh

It is worth mentioning that all 3 players mentioned above are defensive-oriented while midfielder Nguyen Van Duc, born in 1997, is offensive-oriented and has a long-term injury. Thus, coach Ngo Quang Truong has 4 central midfielders left, but all of them are "half-green, half-ripe". The problem in the midfield and the gap left by Ngoc Toan - Khac Ngoc will be a difficult problem.

One of the options that SLNA's coaching staff needs to consider is to recruit a foreign player for the central midfielder position instead of prioritizing the striker position. Firstly, SLNA's center forward position currently has Ho Tuan Tai - a player who is fully capable of taking on the responsibility of scoring goals, alongside Peter Ondykachi.

Striker Ho Phuc Tinh is also a very viable option 2 to replace teammates when they are injured. Last season, the player born in 1994, won the title of top scorer of the U21 national team, scoring 2 goals in 12 matches.

In addition, midfielder Phan Van Duc is completely capable of playing as a withdrawn striker, depending on coach Ngo Quang Truong's ability to arrange the squad. In 2018, the 1996-born player scored 9 goals for the Nghe An team despite not being a true striker.

Midfielder Edmund Ahsah is one of SLNA's excellent central midfielders. Photo: Hai Thinh

In the past, SLNA has also been successful in prioritizing a central midfielder position for foreign players. In 2011, coach Huu Thang and his team won the championship. In that year's squad, central midfielder Edmund Ahsah was the one who regulated and organized the play, although SLNA still had Van Binh, Hoang Thinh, Quang Tinh. He scored 2 goals in 26 matches for the Nghe An team.

Or the case of Hector Kerin is also a typical example. The Trinidad & Tobago player, despite playing in the midfielder position, scored 8 goals for SLNA in the 2012 season and 6 goals in the 2013 season. At that time, coach Huu Thang still had Hoang Thinh, Van Binh, Quang Tinh or young player Khac Ngoc. Hector Kerin was an important satellite that helped Cong Vinh flourish in 2013.

During 2011, 2012 and 2013, SLNA, despite having many good central midfielders, still prioritized a foreign player for the midfield and the team's achievements during this period were extremely impressive. During those years, SLNA was a formidable opponent in the V.League, of course partly due to the quality of its domestic players.

Striker Tuan Tai should be prioritized for the center forward position. Photo: Trung Kien

That proves that Coach Huu Thang highly appreciates the role of foreign players in the central midfielder position. As for SLNA at present, if they continue to prioritize another striker, Ho Tuan Tai will likely have to play in a position that is not his forte, which is winger - where Xuan Manh, Van Duc, Xuan Thang, and Ngoc Anh are already.

Finally, the most feasible option is still to find a central midfielder who can attack and score goals. To both carry the midfield and share the scoring duties with the strikers. From now until the deadline of March 4, SLNA will welcome more foreign players for trial. Hopefully, SLNA's coaching staff will find the most suitable player to solve the problem in the midfield.

Song Lam Nghe An has selected 2 foreign players for V.League 2020

(Baonghean.vn) - Recently, Song Lam Nghe An has been actively preparing for the 2020 season, including recruiting foreign players. Despite many difficulties, up to now, the Nghe An team has selected the two best players.

Yen Thanh