SLNA won points against Hanoi FC, why not?

The Return of the Pillars

Before the match between the two teams took place, SLNA had the same number of points as Mr. Hien's team (7 points). Up to this point, after 3 rounds of V.League 2019, the Nghe An team and Hanoi Club are 2 of 3 teams (along with Ho Chi Minh City Club) that have not lost any match. This is quite a surprising and admirable achievement of coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team.

Don’t forget that recently, SLNA has faced a personnel crisis. A series of key players have suffered injuries at different levels, typically Tran Nguyen Manh, Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh, Le The Cuong, Ho Phuc Tinh… Just arranging enough players to play in the starting lineup has also caused SLNA’s coaching staff a huge headache.

The return of goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh will help SLNA's defense become more solid. Photo courtesy

In addition to the serious loss of strength, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team also had to face tough opponents. Quang Nam Club, Than Quang Ninh Club and B.Binh Duong Club are all teams with great potential and very difficult to play against. Therefore, SLNA's unbeaten record (2 wins, 1 draw) is very impressive. The Nghe An team has shown its excellent ability to overcome difficulties.

The 1-month break for U23 Vietnam to prepare and compete in the 2020 U23 Asian qualifiers is like a "salvation" for SLNA. Thanks to that, Tran Nguyen Manh, Le The Cuong, Ho Phuc Tinh, Le Van Hung, Tran Van Tien... have more time to fully recover from their injuries. The SLNA coaching staff's worries about their squad have temporarily subsided, although the duo Phan Van Duc - Pham Xuan Manh have not been able to return to play.

Hanoi FC is not a perfect machine

The strength of the reigning V.League champion is unquestionable. The domestic players are faces who have worn and are wearing the national team jerseys, spread across all lines and positions. Meanwhile, the foreign players that coach Chu Dinh Nghiem has in hand are all famous players of the V.League in recent seasons.

Just listing names like Nguyen Van Quyet, Pham Thanh Luong, Nguyen Quang Hai, Tran Dinh Trong, Omar, Oseni, Hoang Vu Samson… is enough to understand how terrible the power of Hanoi FC is. Many experts and Vietnamese football fans believe that the second team of the capital team alone is more than capable of winning the 2019 V.League championship.

Having to work hard continuously will greatly affect the physical foundation of Hanoi Club players. Photo: zing.vn

However, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem and his team also face certain difficulties. For example, the risk of physical exhaustion due to having to fight on many fronts, at many levels from clubs to national teams. It is completely normal that Nguyen Quang Hai, Do Duy Manh, Doan Van Hau, Tran Dinh Trong... do not have a foundation of good physical strength and the best feeling for the ball.

The 1-1 draw against Quang Nam FC at Tam Ky Stadium in Round 2 has partly shown that Hanoi FC is not a perfect machine that can win every battle at any time. What Nguyen Van Quyet showed in the match against Quang Nam FC will help coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team find their shortcomings to exploit thoroughly in the upcoming match.

It is true that Hanoi FC is considered superior to SLNA in many aspects (home advantage, strength, recent head-to-head record, etc.), but that does not mean that the capital team will definitely win. In football, anything can happen./.

SLNA fans plan to cheer for the "big battle" at Hang Day

(Baonghean.vn) - In round 4 of V.League 2019, SLNA will be the guest of the defending champion Hanoi at Hang Day Stadium. At this time, all plans to cheer for the upcoming match have been prepared by Nghe An fans.