SLNA - Thanh Hoa: The dark and light halves of the North Central derby

FLC has spent over 200 billion VND in Thanh Hoa for 3 consecutive seasons to hire foreign coaches and star players but still cannot win the gold cup. Ho Chi Minh City Club also spared no expense in "reforming" the entire coaching staff and players but still had to struggle to stay in the league. This shows that money is not always proportional to achievements on the field, sometimes it even has the opposite effect.

Nghe An, lots of money for what?

For a long time, SLNA club officials have always talked about the lack of funds that prevented the team from competing for the top spot and improving its ranking. But when they got a second sponsorship contract, raising the season's budget to 75 billion VND (including youth training), SLNA had a "boring" match at Hang Day Stadium. It seems that the coaching staff and players, who have been "poor" for a long time, when they have money, are not yet used to the mindset of a V.League giant.

“As long as you have the desire to compete, you will be able to enter the field. As for Thanh Hoa team's results, I am responsible,” Coach Duc Thang declared. Photo: VPF

Not only did they lose 0-4 in terms of score, but the Nghe An players also did not fight for the ball as fiercely as usual. If referee Ngo Duy Luan had not been too harsh in giving Dinh Hoang a yellow card in the 90th minute, SLNA would have had a match of "losing heavily, wasting no energy and having no card". It seems that in professional football in Vietnam, sometimes what is the use of having a lot of money?

SLNA is in a position where they need to get 3 points at Vinh Stadium before crossing Hai Van Pass to meet Le Huynh Duc and his team, to avoid falling to the bottom of the rankings. But how to lift the players' spirit is what SLNA's coaching staff needs to face right now. Being "pumped" with more funding but letting their performance decline is really hard to eat, hard to explain to sponsors and the public.

Thanh Hoa, believe in the young generation

Thanh Hoa is having difficulty with its force, especially when foreign player Rimario was punished by the Disciplinary Board. Although poor in terms of finance, Thanh Hoa is showing that they are strong in spirit, Coach Duc Thang is putting all his trust in the youth.

With his personality, Coach Duc Thang boldly left the "veterans" Dinh Tung, Minh Tung, Van Thang, The Duong, Van Long, Thanh Binh, Van Hieu on the bench. Hai Phong center-back Dinh Tien Thanh, in the last year of his contract with Thanh Hoa, was given the responsibility of guiding his juniors. The backbone of the Thanh team this season is Tien Thanh - Huu Dung and Rimario, because the two foreign players Samuel and Gramoz are only at a temporary level.

Hai Phong center back Dinh Tien Thanh was given the responsibility of guiding his juniors. Photo: VPF

It seems that the plan to reform the team has been further planned, with a series of young players such as Trong Hung, Huu Lam, Tuyen Quang, Dinh Hung, Anh Tuan... being brought in by coach Nguyen Duc Thang. Despite the fact that they have only earned 2 points after 2 draws, coach Duc Thang still declared: "As long as they have the desire to play, they will be allowed to enter the field, and I am responsible for the team's performance."

Last year, in the return leg, coach Duc Thang also surprised the experts when he did not register for the return leg of V.League 2018 with 4 pillars of FLC Thanh Hoa: Mai Tien Thanh, Le Quoc Phuong, Hoang Van Binh and Nguyen Van Bakel. Before that, at the beginning of the season, this former The Cong player also immediately wrote a letter to leave the Saigon team when he heard that Mr. Dai was appointed to the position of club president. Very Duc Thang!

In terms of strength in the derby of the two coaches with the same name Duc Thang, the Vinh home team has the advantage. But in the context as we have analyzed above, it is not certain that SLNA will easily earn 3 points, especially when the young players from Thanh have gradually become accustomed to the pressure on the field.

90 minutes at Vinh Stadium is when SLNA's coaching staff and players regain the honor they just lost at Hang Day Stadium.