SLNA: Yellow cards and calculations

With 3 consecutive wins at home, SLNA will have 3 matches against Saigon, Hai Phong and Nam Dinh. If they can earn 7 more points, coach Duc Thang and his team will sleep soundly.

But looking at Khac Ngoc's yellow card in the match against XSKT.Can Tho, which forced him to sit out the match against Saigon at Vinh Stadium, made Nghe An audiences see that SLNA's coaching staff had certain plans.

Faith in the new

With 31 yellow cards, SLNA is one of the teams with the most cards in V-League this season. This is the final stage, more than ever players must consider to avoid losing players in important matches.

Midfielder Khac Ngoc was rested from the match against Saigon to prepare for the two matches at Lach Tray and Thien Truong stadiums, which are expected to require a lot of effort. Playing continuously with high intensity, it seems that "conductor" Khac Ngoc is showing signs of being overloaded and needs to rest.

Khac Ngoc will miss the match against Saigon because he has received 3 yellow cards. Photo: Duc Anh

Therefore, SLNA's coaching board has high confidence in Van Binh, a former player of the Nghe An team, even though this number 15 only had 10 minutes to play in Vinh. Against the opponent Saigon, who only played foreign player Da Sylva, the two most promising domestic players were midfielder Ngoc Duy and Quoc Phuong, a former teammate of Van Binh at FLC Thanh Hoa, the Vinh team completely believed in the possibility of winning.

Saigon had just had a resounding 5-2 victory over Hanoi but was immediately doused with cold water by Cong Phuong with a 3-2 victory. Coach Tai Em's team, despite an early goal from Quoc Phuong, was still turned around by the home team HAGL. The defeat to HAGL, a team that had just lost 3 consecutive matches, showed that the team at Thong Nhat Stadium played inconsistently.

With such comments, perhaps SLNA's coaching board has determined that if they are determined, with the return of Van Duc, the Vinh team will have many opportunities to win 3 points against Saigon. It is very likely that Van Binh will implement the style of play that Khac Ngoc and SLNA have been successful with in recent rounds.

Playing low, sending passes through the opponent's defenders for Tuan Tai, Xuan Thang, Xuan Toan to run up and score. If so, the new foreign players will only be a backup plan for the current smooth operation.

Calculation

In the current context, SLNA's coaching staff is very careful about keeping the players to have the strongest squad when facing direct competitors. If Xuan Manh, Van Khanh and Tuan Tai receive more yellow cards, they will have enough reason to sit out the next match.

Of the three players mentioned above, Xuan Manh is the most important player in SLNA's current playing style because of his physical strength, good appearance, ability to stick to opponents and play in many positions.

Van Duc is ready to return after injury. Photo: To Minh

It is difficult to predict how to play fiercely without being "carded" by the referee. SLNA had a hard time at Vinh Stadium when they lost two full-backs Dinh Hoang and Xuan Manh in the match against Nam Dinh due to 3 yellow cards. Center-back Van Khanh still occasionally makes mistakes this season, leading to goals conceded.

But if Van Khanh and Xuan Manh are absent at the same time, the defense of the Nghe An team will be threatened by the names The Nhat, Manh Hung, and Ngoc Duc who are not highly trusted. Especially in the context of central defender Ngoc Hai limping off the field in the match against XSKT.Can Tho.

Hopefully, with the presence of new foreign players and the return of Van Duc and Van Binh, SLNA will have more room to plan their personnel. But regardless, this is the time for Nghe An players to consider every ball-fighting situation and every match to rise up the rankings.