SLNA seen from the draw with S. Khanh Hoa: Should trust domestic players

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite the absence of Phi Son, SLNA's most important player at the moment, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team still got 1 point when leaving Nha Trang on August 19. A match in which Olaha scored the equalizer 1-1 but the domestic players played very well.

» Olaha scored, SLNA miraculously escaped defeat against S. Khanh Hoa BVN

Although the main referee Tran Dinh Thinh only showed 3 yellow cards, 2 for the away team SLNA, 1 for the home team, this was a match where players from both sides fought fiercely for the ball. Many times Ti Phong, Quoc Chi of the home team or the away players Olaha, The Cuong, Khac Ngoc had to lie on the field after fierce collisions. Up to now, the team of coach Vo Dinh Tan is still famous for being the toughest team in V-League, they have received 5 red cards. The opponents who came to the field on August 19 all left "bruised" because the 5-man midfield of the Pho Bien team advocated collisions to limit the opponent's group coordination.

Balanced lineup

SLNA's coaching board made a bold decision when they put The Cuong in Phi Son's place and put Phuc Tinh in Danko's place from the start. The youth of the Nghe An team allowed them to stand firm against the pressure of the home team, "playing fiercely" all over the field and the tireless mobility of Quoc Chi on the right wing. With a 3-4-3 formation, with 3 attacking strikers Ti Phong, Quoc Chi and foreign player Youre Youssouf, they caused a lot of trouble for SLNA's defense.

The match between Khanh Hoa and SLNA at 19/8 Nha Trang Stadium was a match where players from both sides fought fiercely for the ball.

In the first 30 minutes, the home team had 64% of the ball, completely dominating the midfield. Their opening goal came from a familiar losing scenario, the ball was lofted to the head of 1.90m tall center back Zarour Chaher before reaching Quoc Chi, who, unmarked, shot past Nguyen Manh.

The match between the two teams was more exciting partly due to the presence of the new head coach of the Vietnamese national team, Korean Park Hang Seo. The central defenders Ngoc Hai and Van Khanh played aggressively, proactively intercepting the ball before reaching the position of foreign player Youre Youssouf, supporting defender Sy Nam on the right wing.

Compared to the match against Hai Phong 2-3, the Nghe An team's defense was tighter and less stepped on each other. Olaha played wide, blocking the opponent's attacks, while the three players Van Duc, The Cuong, and Phuc Tinh, playing together for the first time, played quite well. The SLNA attack line lacked Phi Son, so there were no more breakthroughs into the 16.5m area led by Zarour Chaher in defense, but in return, they fought fiercely for the ball from a distance. The fact that Zarour Chaher was injured and had to leave the field created an opportunity for Olaha to score a header from a free kick, proving that the SLNA coaching staff's calculations were appropriate.

Should trust domestic soldiers

Towards the end of the season, Olaha showed his role in SLNA's shirt. Photo: Internet

When SLNA only has the National Cup as their goal and Danko's playing time is only counted in days, the young players of Nghe An need to be given more opportunities. Obviously, with quite poor physical condition when Danko is present, SLNA always falls into a situation of "handicapping people", the ability to score is zero, but the defensive support of this player is also ineffective. Phuc Tinh had a good match and clearly this player's physical condition is much better than people think.

With a match that doesn’t say much but without Danko, the domestic players’ attitude was better. Along with the first leg match at Lach Tray Stadium, this was a match where the players played with true “Nghe” style, fighting fiercely for the ball, playing with a lot of experience, even though sometimes they showed tricks.

SLNA's coaching staff had a match with clear tactics against a tough opponent like S.Khanh Hoa, so they got 1 point, more importantly, they had a chance to practice. In our opinion, not only keeping Danko on the bench, SLNA also needs to limit the use of Phi Son to create opportunities for other players. Coach Duc Thang has 3 valuable matches in hand to prepare for next season, in case Phi Son leaves Vinh Stadium.

AT