SHB Da Nang - SLNA: Who will replace Alves dos Santos?

With Alves dos Santos suspended and Ho Tuan Tai still not recovered from his injury, the Nghe An team's attack is thinner than ever. Besides Olaha, coach Nguyen Duc Thang only has Ho Phuc Tinh, a player who specializes in playing as a striker. In such a situation, the SLNA coaching staff will have to choose one of two options: arrange Olaha to play highest or assign the Olaha - Ho Phuc Tinh pair to lead the attack.

With the familiar 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1 formations applied throughout the past time, it is very likely that Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his colleagues will choose option 2. That is, Ho Phuc Tinh will be on the field from the beginning to take over the position that Alves dos Santos just left. This is a great opportunity for the "top scorer" of the 2014 National U21 tournament to prove his talent, after a period of struggling with injuries.

Is Ho Phuc Tinh the top choice to replace Alves dos Santos? Photo: Archive

In theory, yes. However, Ho Phuc Tinh's ability to play in the match between SHB Da Nang and SLNA is still not guaranteed. It all depends on the decision of the Nghe An team's coaching staff.

Remember, from the beginning of the season until now, the 25-year-old striker has only played for 45 minutes and has not shown much (SLNA lost to Hanoi FC with a score of 0-4). This will significantly affect Ho Phuc Tinh's chance to start in the match against SHB Da Nang.

Observing SLNA's recent matches, the player that coach Nguyen Duc Thang often sends on as a substitute is midfielder Vo Ngoc Toan. In the match between SLNA and Thanh Hoa a few days ago, the midfielder from Quynh Luu left a strong impression after coming on as a substitute for Le The Cuong. The pass that helped Olaha hit the crossbar of Thanh Hoa's goal in the 78th minute is a typical example.

Vo Ngoc Toan can also play as a striker. Photo: Document

For example, at the 2013 National U21 Finals, Coach Nguyen Van Tien arranged for Vo Ngoc Toan to play alongside Nguyen Dinh Bao in the SLNA U21 attack. Therefore, Vo Ngoc Toan will not feel surprised if he is "replaced" for Alves dos Santos.

In short, what has been mentioned above is just speculation. Who to use is the decision of Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his colleagues. Hopefully, in case of being used, Ho Phuc Tinh and Vo Ngoc Toan will play successfully./.