Finding solutions for Song Lam Nghe An's midfield in the new season
With the trial of 2 foreign players playing in the center-back and striker positions, Song Lam Nghe An's midfield will be the most worrying line in the 2024/2025 season. And the coaching staff of the Nghe An team needs to have specific calculations to strengthen the midfield as the new season is approaching.
Before the 2024/2025 season started, Song Lam Nghe An said goodbye to midfielders Dang Van Lam and Nguyen Van Viet. This made the quality of the Nghe An team's midfield even more unstable.
Especially when midfielder Phan Ba Quyen has not yet fully recovered from the injury he suffered at the end of last season and his ability to return in the first matches of the new season is still uncertain. However, this 21-year-old player will still play a very important role this season. He is the anchor, the shield in the midfield of the Nghe An team, helping his teammates play with peace of mind.
The backup for Phan Ba Quyen is midfielder Dang Quang Tu. This 23-year-old player does quite well in interception. However, Dang Quang Tu needs to improve his passing ability. This is the weakness that caused Song Lam Nghe An to almost concede goals after Dang Quang Tu's misdirected passes. In addition, Nguyen Xuan Binh or Ngo Van Bac can also play a good role in this position.
However, the difficult problem of the Nghe An team is the leader of the game. In the context that Dinh Xuan Tien has not been able to regain his best form, the Vinh team can only rely on midfielder Nguyen Quang Vinh. With the ability to handle in a small area, good tactical vision and a strong playing style that is not afraid of collision, Nguyen Quang Vinh is the hope in the midfield of Song Lam Nghe An.
However, this 19-year-old midfielder also had to work very hard last season. From V.League to National Cup, from U19 Song Lam Nghe An to U19 Vietnam National Team. This made Nguyen Quang Vinh overloaded and very susceptible to unnecessary injuries. Therefore, the coaching staff of the Nghe An team needs to urgently find someone to share the burden with this midfielder born in 2005.
That is to wait for the return of Dinh Xuan Tien or find new factors from the U19 generation such as Pham Nguyen Quoc Trung, Nguyen Trong Tuan or Ho Viet Manh. However, these are highly risky options and can put Song Lam Nghe An in a passive position.
The most likely option is to return Tran Nam Hai to the midfield. The central midfielder position is not too unfamiliar to this player wearing the number 17 shirt. At the U21 tournament in 2023, Tran Nam Hai played very well in this position. Tran Nam Hai's smooth dribbling and accurate short and medium-range passes will help Song Lam Nghe An have a better game.
In addition, Tran Nam Hai also has a good finishing ability. The goal against SHB Da Nang in V.League 2023 or the solo pass through 4 U21 Dong A Thanh Hoa players and scoring are typical examples. It can be said that Tran Nam Hai will be a quality option to supplement the midfield of Song Lam Nghe An.
A last resort for the Nghe An team is to pull Michael Olaha back to play in the midfield. The advantage of this option is Michael Olaha's ability to keep the ball well and strong one-on-one. In addition, the Nigerian player also has very good passing ability. Therefore, Michael Olaha can completely meet the requirements if he is pulled back to the midfield.
However, this only happens when the Song Lam Nghe An midfield is in a force crisis and the remaining foreign players play very well in the attack. Because withdrawing Michael Olaha to the midfield is equivalent to reducing half of the strength of the Nghe An team's attack.
It can be affirmed that the midfield of Nghe An team is very thin and the coaching staff of Nghe An team needs to have specific calculations to avoid falling into a passive situation. Especially in a long-term race like V.League./.