The aftermath of Song Lam Nghe An's draw against Hai Phong.
(Baonghean.vn) - The goalless draw helped the Nghe An team end their streak of 3 consecutive losses, but it was not enough to help coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team improve their position in the V.League standings.
A draw is acceptable.
With a cautious approach, coach Phan Như Thuật prioritized ensuring solidity in his own half before thinking about victory. And the Nghe An team did an excellent job defensively, keeping a clean sheet after 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet stood out, with his exceptional reflexes and well-timed interventions frustrating the opposing team's strikers.
However, the attack lacked creativity, resulting in Song Lam Nghe An only securing one point at home. This draw ended their three-match losing streak. But with only one point, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team hasn't been able to improve their ranking, remaining at 14 points after 14 matches, just four points ahead of bottom-placed Khanh Hoa.
Nevertheless, one point is probably a satisfactory result for both teams after what they showed at Vinh Stadium. Hopefully, in the upcoming match, the Nghe An team will play better to achieve a favorable result against Hanoi Police.
Changes made by coach Phan Như Thuật
There have been changes in Song Lam Nghe An's lineup and playing style. The return of veteran Tran Dinh Hoang and winger Mai Sy Hoang has eased coach Phan Nhu Thuat's defensive headaches.
Along with that, the team switched their formation from 5-3-2 to 4-4-2 with a pair of strong, fast wing midfielders named Nguyen Van Viet and Raphael Success. This tactical adjustment somewhat limited the danger of the visiting team's attacks down the flanks. The two wing midfielders frequently dropped back to support the full-backs, effectively shutting down both wing areas of the Nghe An team.
A noteworthy highlight is foreign player Raphael Success. The Nigerian player worked tirelessly on the left wing, frequently engaging in challenges with opponents. It can be said that Raphael Success is making a significant contribution to the overall success of the Nghe An team.
However, on the attacking front, the player wearing number 70 still needs to improve a lot, especially in his final touches which lack finesse, leading to wasted opportunities.
Concerns about manpower remain.
Despite the return of veteran Tran Dinh Hoang and defender Mai Sy Hoang to the squad, there are still many concerns for the Nghe An team's strength. These include the absence of promising young players such as Tran Nam Hai, Dinh Xuan Tien, and Nguyen Quang Vinh.
In addition, Phan Xuan Dai, Le Van Thanh, and Phan Ba Quyen suffered recent injuries in the last match. It can be said that coach Phan Nhu Thuat doesn't have many options in the lineup. This means the Nghe An team will have to play strategically to secure valuable points.
Hopefully, in the near future, the players will recover quickly so that Song Lam Nghe An can have its strongest lineup.
Le Dinh Long Vu makes his V.League debut.
At the age of 18, Le Dinh Long Vu made his V.League debut for the Nghe An team. After being brought on in the 71st minute, the young midfielder played quite energetically on the right wing. A notable highlight was Long Vu's two attempts to threaten goalkeeper Dinh Trieu's goal.
However, this player from Ha Tinh still had quite a few instances of losing possession or failing to dribble successfully in the recent match. Therefore, Le Dinh Long Vu will need to learn and accumulate a lot of playing experience in the future to become an outstanding player of Vietnamese football.