SLNA with the problem of escaping the bottom of the table

The above indicators show that things at the bottom can change quickly after a few rounds and any team that knows how to solve the problem of escaping the bottom of the table in a spectacular way will soon avoid the risk of relegation, not letting other teams identify them as "point bins" to exploit and attack in the coming rounds.

Of course, the biggest and most direct risk of relegation is currently focused on the young, under-resourced team Song Lam Nghe An. Without the pillars that are the backbone of the squad, without the stars of the lines, without good foreign players, without overseas Vietnamese players...Lam River Nghe Anare competing under great pressure, the risk of being "pressed" to take points is very clear, as Hoang Anh Gia Lai (round 2) or Thep Xanh Nam Dinh (round 4) did and succeeded. So, in the long run ahead, what must Song Lam Nghe An do and how to accumulate each point, from not winning to having to win, especially against direct opponents who are holding each other back at the bottom of the table as mentioned above?

It is often said that for weak teams like Song Lam Nghe An, each match in the V-League is a “final match” of survival. To be more precise, each match of Song Lam Nghe An with teams temporarily ranked from the middle of the table down, that is, from 7th place (Binh Duong, Nam Dinh currently have 7 points, Quang Nam, Ho Chi Minh City currently have 5 points) are all real “reverse finals” and if the result is a draw or higher, it is a success.

For example, in the upcoming round 6, Song Lam Nghe An will welcome Ho Chi Minh City, a team struggling with many difficulties when in 5 rounds they have only scored 2 goals thanks to 2 foreign players, while the domestic players are silent as a sheet, it will be an opportunity not to be missed. With home field advantage, with Olaha opening the scoring, Kuku playing better and better, domestic players like Quang Vinh having a goal capital, a series of young players returning after injuries... Song Lam Nghe An has every basis to have a good match and bring home 3 points, breaking away from the current extremely stifling bottom position.

In round 7, Song Lam Nghe An will face their noisy neighbor Thanh Hoa and it will not be easy for the home team Vinh to get 3 points, because the opponent is playing very well and is difficult for any opponent. Meanwhile, in round 8, although playing away, Quang Nam can still be an opponent of equal strength for Mr. Pham Anh Tuan and his team. It is easy to see that there are times when Song Lam Nghe An often plays very well away and who knows, they will make the old player Van Sy Son suffer?

Calculating each match, each moment to strike a finishing blow against the opponent or to haggle for a draw, avoiding a loss, of course, is just one of the "martial arts" of the coaching staff depending on each opponent at home or away. It will be very difficult to calculate how to "overcome" opponents like Hanoi FC, Hanoi Police, Thanh Hoa or Viettel, although at the end of last season, there was a story about Song Lam Nghe An winning Viettel to escape the unwanted play-off. Meanwhile, with opponents like SHB Da Nang, Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, Quang Nam, Hai Phong..., the Vinh Stadium team can completely play an open game, proactively fighting to achieve favorable results. From there, proactively arrange a balanced and harmonious force for must-win matches, 50/50 matches, matches with a high risk of increased penalties, injuries and other unpredictable surprises.

Of course, the deeper into the tournament, all short-term and long-term calculations can be favorable or unfavorable, depending on the coaching staff's ability to "cut their coat according to their cloth" and the efforts of each player. Looking at the way Nam Dinh Steel arranged the foreign players to compete in the continental cup, the way Hong Linh Ha Tinh "acquired" good foreign players like Gieovani, overseas Vietnamese players like Adou Minh, Viktor Le, the way Dong A Thanh Hoa had a great defender from Brazil despite having Rimario, Antonio..., we can feel "pity" for Song Lam Nghe An when they only registered a minimum of 3 foreign players, no more, no less. Zaracho got a red card and lost a foreign player spot in the defense. Then Olaha or Kuku were all over the field until they ran out of battery or got hurt, without any foreign players to replace them, being suspended was no different from "handicapping" the opponent and losing the match. Saying that is to see that "difficulty binds intelligence", to see that it is not easy to always "show" intelligence to the world, but it is very possible that one is powerless, like the way Song Lam Nghe An lost convincingly to Nam Dinh in the 4th round recently.

It is time to correctly identify the team’s position and opportunities to gradually overcome the current difficulties. A young team, if it knows how to nurture and create conditions, can still “stay” in the V-League like how Song Lam Nghe An successfully stayed in the league last season.

Chau Phu