What style of play will SLNA use for the 2019 V.League season?

It is not difficult to see that SLNA will always play with a 4-defender formation even though they have just acquired foreign central defender Damir Memović with a height of 1m91. Partly from the youth team, SLNA players have long been accustomed to playing with 4 defenders, on the other hand, when V.League allows playing 3 foreign players, the 3-man defense line will find it difficult to defend against 2 foreign strikers.

Counterattacking specialty

SLNA still relies on defensive counter-attacking play. Photo: VFF

Depending on the situation, SLNA's coaching staff will play with a 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation. Last season, when they needed to score, coach Duc Thang sometimes played with a 4-3-3 formation, but not often. They still held the ball, then suddenly sent passes into the space between the goalkeeper and the opposing defenders so that their teammates could use their speed to score.

Looking at the list of 26 players registered for the 2019 season, fans will feel more secure in the defense, especially the position of center back Damir Memović who will neutralize the high ball situations, the inherent weakness of SLNA. The player from Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina will help the midfielders not have to retreat too deep in free kick situations and have better counter-attack conditions when receiving the ball from the center back's head.

Last year's return leg performance was greatly contributed by Van Binh, who has greatly reduced the workload for Khac Ngoc. His combat experience has helped the "returnee" midfielder No. 15 intercept and recover the ball quite well, although his physique is not his strong point. Many V.League coaches have the same opinion that Van Binh plays very strangely, knows how to be firm and soft at the right time to control the rhythm of the match well, and is also tough, making the opponent afraid.

SLNA players and foreign players warm up before entering the training session. Photo: Duc Anh

Brazilian rookie Marcio Alves has a height of 1.86 m, which is quite ideal for playing the center forward position. For many years now, many foreign players have come and gone from Vinh Stadium, only Michael Olaha has lasted until the third season. Whether the foreign pair Marcio Alves and Michael Olaha can contribute 15-18 goals this season or not depends largely on the integration of Brazilian player Marcio Alves.

Michael Olaha is a player who operates quite widely, often dropping deep to participate in defense and being effective when there is space. That requires the partner to be able to handle the ball in a narrow area and have the ability to coordinate with teammates. In addition, Marcio Alves must do a good job of harassing and attracting the opponent's defenders so that the second line has a chance to approach the match.

Need to stabilize both wings

Van Duc is still the player burdened with the task of scoring goals for SLNA. Photo: VFF

SLNA’s recent style of play depends a lot on the performance of the wingers. While left wing Van Duc is becoming an indispensable player, the coaching staff will still take turns on the right wing. It seems that Van Duc is still the player who bears the burden of scoring goals for SLNA, not the two foreign players, even though Michael Olaha scored on the first day of the match.

Players like Tuan Tai, Xuan Thang and even The Cuong… have only played their roles well, scoring goals is what the team needs but they have not done much. When Dinh Dong returns, after recovering from injury, Xuan Manh will give coach Duc Thang more options, this player has been on both wings, both defender and midfielder.

SLNA currently has many players with blocking ability such as Khac Ngoc, Sy Sam, Ngoc Toan and Manh Dung, but how to have creative attacking passes is still a big question. "Conductor" Khac Ngoc showed signs of slowing down at the end of last season, many of this number 12's through balls were predicted by the opponent.

Therefore, Van Binh and Quang Tinh are the necessary additions to the Nghe An team this season.