SLNA: Looking at Sy Nam reminds me of Van Kien

(Baonghean.vn) - Seeing substitute defender Sy Nam fumble and let Hanoi striker Samson score past goalkeeper Nguyen Manh in the final minutes of the match, fans couldn't help but feel regretful and remember Van Kien.

For us, those who have followed SLNA's youth training for many years, Van Kien, a player from Nghia Dan born in 1996, is no stranger to us, who is the same age as Xuan Manh and Van Duc of SLNA. In 2009, Van Kien joined SLNA's U13 team but was eliminated at U15 due to... "inability to develop professionally". Van Kien's family contacted the T&T VSH training center for Van Kien to join.

Genuine "genuine" goods

Different from the assessment of young SLNA coaches, right after joining the Youth Training Center of HN.T&T, Van Kien was highly appreciated for his professional ability. Not long after, Van Kien had an official position from U.19 to U.21. In 2016, Van Kien was "lifted" by the Hanoi coaching board to the first team to participate in the V-League and immediately took the main position. When being reinforced for U21 Hanoi FC, Van Kien was a pillar of the defense, making an important contribution to the National U21 championship of the capital team.

In the confrontations with his hometown team - SLNA in the last 2 seasons, Van Kien (blue shirt) played well, affirming his value. Photo: Internet

In his first year in the V-League, the young defender wearing the number 13 jersey started 22 matches, contributing greatly to the capital team's V.League championship and National Cup runner-up position. This year, Van Kien was started by coach Chu Dinh Nghiem in nearly 20 matches in both the V.League and AFC Cup.

The strength of this Nghe An player is his dedication and fierce pursuit of opponents throughout the match. In the past two years, the right wing of the capital team, managed by Van Kien, has rarely let the opponent's striker escape. In addition to his defensive ability, Van Kien has a very dangerous cross for Hanoi FC's foreign players to threaten the opponent's goal.

The Hanoi coaching staff rated this young defender as a genuine “genuine” product, SLNA failed to discover the rough gem and let him slip through their fingers. This is not the first time the scouts of the Nghe An team have lost players with good technical ability.

Thinking about SLNA defense

After Dinh Hoang's injury, SLNA's coaching staff replaced Sy Sam, The Nhat, and Sy Nam on the right wing, but none of them created confidence. SLNA's defense is considered the weakest in V-League due to the inconsistent performance of the defenders. Because of the constant change in the right-back position, Phi Son did not have the opportunity to get acquainted with the player on the same wing, often having to retreat deep to support, reducing the effectiveness of the attack.

Looking at Sy Nam, fans are reminded of Van Kien. Photo: Trung Kien

Meanwhile, after being forced to leave SLNA, Van Kien had 42 starting matches in the V-League, AFC Cup along with 2 Cups, Xuan Manh and Van Duc were still missing from the Nghe An team. The young SLNA players, when they started to get used to the V-League environment, were also the time when their contracts expired and they proactively left.

In the match against Hanoi FC, because Van Kien did not register to play, people did not have the opportunity to compare, but seeing Sy Nam fumble leading to a goal, fans remembered Van Kien a lot. Thanks to the trust of the coaching staff, Van Kien has increasingly shone in the Hanoi FC shirt, being called up by coach Huu Thang to U22 Vietnam is a worthy reward for this player from Nghia Dan.

I wonder what the leadership of the Nghe An team thinks every time they see Cong Phuong and Van Kien shining?

AT