SLNA: Will Henry be the one to leave?

(Baonghean.vn) - The Trinidad - Tobago striker will likely have to say goodbye to SLNA in phase 2 due to his disastrous decline in performance.

Speaking after SLNA's loss to host Hanoi FC, coach Nguyen Duc Thang affirmed: "To play more effectively and avoid goals like this, we have to replace our personnel. SLNA will replace a foreign player with a new player."

According to the captain of the Nghe An team, one of the two names, Olaha and Henry, will no longer wear the Vinh team's shirt in the next phase of the 2017 V. League. This is not surprising, because the contribution of the foreign duo Olaha - Henry to SLNA was not as expected at first.

Objectively speaking, Henry had a pretty impressive start in SLNA's shirt. After the first 7 rounds of V. League 2017, the striker born in 1994 had excellently scored 6 goals. Most notably, Henry's double in the away match against Long An in round 4 helped the Nghe team win all 3 points, which was also the first victory of coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team in V. League 2017.

However, since scoring against SHB Da Nang in round 7, Henry has gone 6 consecutive matches without scoring.

Poor form has almost certainly forced striker Henry to leave Vinh Stadium. Photo: Trung Kien

Many good chances created by his teammates were regrettably squandered by the Trinidad - Tobago striker. Observing SLNA in recent matches, it can be seen that the form of the striker wearing the number 45 shirt is plummeting.

Not only is he poor at scoring goals, but he also can't show much support for his teammates.

Taking the highest position in SLNA's attack, the player born in 1994 has shown his poor ability to operate independently.

In particular, the individual technique of the striker who has scored 6 goals is a big question mark. Every time he receives a pass from his teammates, Henry often loses the ball very easily due to poor control. Witnessing situations where Henry lets the ball fly 2-3m away, is won back by the opponent and counterattacks, the coaching board and fans of the Nghe An team feel extremely fed up.

With a thirst for goals lasting for 6 matches and disappointing performance recently, it is also very reasonable if Henry is "removed" by SLNA's coaching board in phase 2.

Compared to Henry, the remaining foreign player Olaha does not possess as impressive numbers. After 13 rounds playing for SLNA, the striker born in 1997 has only scored 1 goal and assisted his teammates 2 times.

For a long time, Nghe An fans have been calling on SLNA's coaching staff to push Olaha out of the main squad. The Nigerian striker himself could no longer be patient with himself, so he expressed his wish to play as a reserve player to regain his best feeling after a series of disappointing matches.

In response to the criticism of fans and Olaha's wishes, SLNA's coaching staff still maintained a steadfast stance. Head coach Nguyen Duc Thang publicly expressed his clear opinion about the performance of his 20-year-old student: "I know, Olaha wants to score and thinks about it more than anything. He also said that he asked to play as a reserve because he is still young and has not yet integrated, but I said that I need him to play in the midfield position, scoring is just one of his many tasks."

Obviously, SLNA's coaching board does not rely on the number of goals and assists to evaluate Olaha's importance in the squad.

Despite often bringing disappointment, Olaha is still likely to wear SLNA's shirt in phase 2. Photo: Trung Kien

This shows that in the eyes of SLNA's coaching staff, Henry is not as 'favored' as Olaha. Another notable detail proves the possibility that the Trinidad - Tobago striker will leave SLNA. Information has been revealed: the contract between the Nghe An team and Henry only lasts until the end of the first leg. Meanwhile, Olaha was signed by SLNA to a contract until the end of the 2017 season.

For a team with limited financial resources like SLNA, it is difficult to choose the option of parting ways with Olaha and losing the remaining money in the contract (equivalent to 6 months). Therefore, the possibility of Henry leaving SLNA in the next few days is almost certain.

V. League will be on hiatus for more than 2 months, this period of time is enough for the Nghe An team to find a suitable striker for the next journey in V. League 2017. SLNA fans only hope that the team will not be stuck with bad contracts.

Thanh Hung