SLNA: What 'breakthrough' has the coaching staff achieved?

Reinforcing the defense and defensive system is the first thing the coaching staff must address, adapting to the circumstances. This means continuing to use the central defensive pairing of Jelic and The Nhat or Jelic and Dinh Dong, and boldly bringing in Sy Nam or young player Sy Hoang to play on the wing from the start.

And in the defensive line, will there be any changes to support Dinh Chau in the center, positioning him in front of the defense to limit direct attacks from the opponent? Will the coaching staff dare to reinforce the midfield by moving defender Xuan Manh up to play alongside Van Duc on the opposite wing, pulling Peter back, meaning ensuring a solid defensive formation before thinking about attacking and scoring from any direction?

SLNA's central defenders need to be more alert to fouls committed just outside the penalty area. Photo: VPF

After the first two matches, it's unclear whether the coaching staff's decision not to field Van Lam is because the young player hasn't fully recovered from his injury from last season, or because Sy Sam is in more consistent form. Nor has the coaching staff dared to break the mold by unexpectedly fielding Xuan Binh, Van Viet, and other eager U21 players to test their skills.

Certainly, defender Dinh Dong, due to his age, will not be able to play the full 90 minutes, so having more than one defensive option is always a consideration. This involves Xuan Manh if necessary to push the team forward or shut down the opponent's sharp attacking flank, as in the match against...HAGLThe decision to bring Dinh Tien onto the field at two different times was a logical one, as this young player, if playing confidently, can create many breakthroughs from the right wing, being the one to build attacks from the wing rather than from the center as is often the case.

More than ever, all of our calculations...SLNARight now, everything depends on the consistent and outstanding form of key players like Van Hoang, Van Duc, and Xuan Manh, and hoping for some lucky Phu Nguyen to finish off scoring opportunities?

Hoang Van Khanh's first red card caused difficulties for SLNA in their match against HAGL. Photo: VPF

Similarly, the team needs a certain "luck" from bringing in foreign players. For example, Martin, a former player who isn't particularly outstanding, has at least scored in his first two appearances – perhaps two goals if he's lucky? Or Jelic, except for the incident where he was too focused on marking Cong Phuong on the wing, leaving space behind for the opponent to score the equalizer against HAGL, hopefully he'll be more reliable once he integrates with his new teammates? And the powerful Peter will need a bit more finesse and lethality, otherwise he'll constantly be "running around aimlessly" in an attack starved of the ball and lacking a partner to work with. Not to mention Bruno, the foreign player from neighboring Ha Tinh, is injured; would signing him even be worthwhile?

Adapting as quickly as possible is the only way forward before Van Khanh and Ba Sang's suspensions end and they regain the necessary composure after the practical lesson learned at this difficult start. But if the unfortunate "curse" of yellow and red cards for rough tackles, reactions, and countless other unforeseen problems isn't mitigated, the team will continue to face one difficulty after another, even though some might be content that, "we're not as bad as those wealthy teams that suffer consecutive defeats..."