SHB Da Nang - SLNA: Smiles divided

(Baonghean.vn) - The new Hoa Xuan Stadium will welcome guests from Nghe An for the first time. This is a highly anticipated match between two teams that have always considered each other rivals over the years.

Customers are having a hard time

Traveling to Hoa Xuan Stadium to play as guests against SHB Da Nang, the Nghe An team did not have the best form. The 1-2 defeat to Hanoi FC right at the "fire pan of Vinh", extended the series of consecutive winless matches in all competitions of coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team to 5. If only counting the V.League front, the results that SLNA achieved were even more disappointing. Since defeating HAGL (round 10) until now, Phi Son and his teammates have not enjoyed the joy of victory for 7 matches.

It is true that SLNA is often turned away by luck, when the goalposts and crossbars of the opponent's goal have repeatedly denied the Nghe An players' dangerous shots. However, "first blame yourself, then blame others", instead of blaming unprofessional factors, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team should review themselves. It is undeniable that luck is a part of football, but if the SLNA coaching staff and players were more clear-headed and sharper, the team's performance would certainly not be so bad.

Phi Son (number 10) is the hope of the Nghe An team. Photo: Archive

In the attack, Phi Son and Van Duc still showed their excellence on the two wings, Khac Ngoc - Olaha always played quite well in the midfield area, only the sharpest strikers playing up front still showed their incompetence and harmlessness. The new player Kovacevic was just a bad contract, and domestic striker Phuc Tinh had difficulty making a difference in the circle of tall, cunning defenders on the opponent's side. Those who are not really knowledgeable about tactics also know that when facing SLNA, just block Phi Son, Van Duc, Khac Ngoc... tightly, the chance of scoring is up to 90%.

The defense is much worse. A series of individual and system mistakes keep happening like clockwork. Before one mistake can be fixed, other mistakes are exposed. Players make mistakes together as if there is a competition, 'who makes more mistakes?'. The flaw was exposed in this match, and in the next match, other flaws appear. The 14 draws and losses in V.League 2017 up to now, mostly because Nghe An players 'gave' points to the opponent. Therefore, 'suicidal' goals like the match between FLC Thanh Hoa 2 - 0 SLNA (round 1) happen like a chorus and it is unknown when they will stop?

The owner is visibly strong.

On the other side of the front line, coach Le Huynh Duc of SHB Da Nang easily recognized the shortcomings of the Vinh team. The 1-2 defeat in the first leg was simply an accident for the Han River team. Letting SLNA successfully turn the tables in the afternoon of midfielder Khac Ngoc's brilliant performance was a bitter taste that was hard to swallow for coach Le Huynh Duc and his team. Meeting the opponent in the current situation, the chance of victory for the orange team is not small.

In addition to the unfortunate absence of Anh Quang, Thanh Thinh, Anh Tuan, Thanh Nam... Coach Le Huynh Duc will likely welcome the return of foreign player Britez and national team player Huy Toan. Thus, with the killer duo Do Merlo - Gramoz Kurtaj appearing in the front line, SHB Da Nang's force in the upcoming match against SLNA is still quite strong. Remember, in the reception of XSKT Can Tho in round 16, the home team at Hoa Xuan Stadium crushed the opponent with 3 goals to nil (Gramoz Kurtaj scored a double, Do Merlo scored 1 goal).

Striker Do Merlo is the most dangerous player of SHB Da Nang. Photo: Internet.

The main characters in the match that took place last week were none other than the foreign striker duo Do Merlo - Gramoz Kurtaj. The Argentine striker has perfected his goal-scoring ability, using his feet skillfully in aerial combat. Now with Kurtaj playing alongside him, Merlo will have more space to bring goals to SHB Da Nang. Seeing the "twin swords" Do Merlo - Gramoz Kurtaj, the defense of every team in the V.League cannot help but tremble in fear.

However, that does not mean that coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team will surely lose this away match. Do not forget, in the 2 visits to the Han River city in V.League 2015 and 2016, SLNA had an unbeaten record against the home team (won 1 and drew 1). Admittedly, at the present time, defeating SHB Da Nang is almost impossible, but leaving Hoa Xuan stadium with 1 point in hand is not too difficult a goal for the Nghe An team./.

Thanh Hung