SLNA 'commits suicide' in Thanh Hoa province.

(Baonghean.vn) - The defeat of coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team against their neighbor FLC Thanh Hoa did not surprise many people. Regardless, the home team was considered far superior to the Nghe An team in several important aspects. However, the manner of SLNA's defeat was truly disappointing.

"Speak to the SLNA coaching staff."

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang: 'Foreign players need time to integrate'

Admittedly, FLC Thanh Hoa's victory in the North Central Vietnam derby was entirely deserved, even a victory with a margin of more than two goals.

The SLNA players were inferior to Coach Petrovic's team in every statistical indicator, from goals, chances, game control, tactics, and even fighting spirit.

Never before has SLNA been so outmatched by a representative of Thanh Hoa football. The biggest fault in SLNA's dismal performance on the Thanh Hoa pitch lies in the coaching staff's poor tactics and personnel arrangement, specifically the duo of Nguyen Duc Thang and Nguyen Van Thinh.

Many believe that the quality of players at the Vinh Stadium team is significantly inferior to their opponents. You can't make something out of nothing... But if you look at the names in the starting lineup of the Nghe An team, such as Nguyen Manh, Phi Son, Ngoc Hai, Manh Hung, Xuan Manh, Minh Duc... these are all players who have played or are currently playing for the Vietnam national team and the U23 Vietnam team. As for the foreign players, Olaha Michael and Henry Shackiel also underwent a thorough "test" before the V. League started. If they lacked professional skills, how could they have been signed? Could the SLNA coaching staff really be so lacking in judgment?

Nguyen Duc Thang and the SLNA coaching staff made mistakes that led to their team's defeat.

Returning to the match at Thanh Hoa Stadium, there was no need to bother scouting the opponent; everyone understood that with Omar and Uche in the lineup, Coach Petrovic would instruct his players to focus the ball on these two strong foreign players. This tactic has been used repeatedly by most V. League teams for over a decade, and it was no surprise to Nguyen Duc Thang and Nguyen Van Thinh.

The events on the field unfolded exactly as predicted, with FLC Thanh Hoa making full use of the attacking prowess of Omar and Uche to put pressure on goalkeeper Nguyen Manh's goal.

The SLNA coaching staff were aware of Coach Petrovic's intentions, but for some reason, they chose to remain passive. Numerous gaps were exposed in front of the visitors' penalty area between the central midfielders Khắc Ngọc and Ngọc Hải, and between the central defenders Minh Đức and Mạnh Hùng and the two full-backs Ngọc Đức and Sỹ Sâm...

FLC Thanh Hoa created a series of excellent scoring opportunities due to the carelessness and fragility of the Nghe An team's defense. In the first 45 minutes alone, Omar, Uche (2 chances), and Quoc Phuong threatened SLNA's goal with extremely favorable opportunities. Just a little more accuracy, or Nguyen Manh not playing so brilliantly, would have meant Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's players would have left the first half with a disastrous result.

Witnessing SLNA's performance in the first half, few believed goalkeeper Nguyen Manh could keep a clean sheet for his team; it was only a matter of time before FLC Thanh Hoa scored. Inevitably, right after the home team kicked off the second half, the lead went to the team coached by Petrovic, thanks to center-back Manh Hung's seemingly harmless long pass from Van Binh of FLC Thanh Hoa. Uche's goal to make it 2-0 was also similar; Manh Hung was caught out of position after failing to catch Trong Hoang offside.

Defender Mạnh Hùng had a terrible game against FLC Thanh Hóa.

Manh Hung's mistakes are undeniable, but the SLNA coaching staff also bears considerable responsibility. In recent seasons, the 1993-born center-back has been a player with extremely poor form. In the early stages of the 2016 V. League, due to Manh Hung's errors, coach Ngo Quang Truong had to bench him. And in SLNA's away matches against Thanh Hoa, the former Vietnam U23 center-back often underperformed with silly mistakes. The red card that contributed to SLNA's loss to Lam Son Thanh Hoa two seasons ago is clear evidence of this.

It's true that center-back Van Khanh is injured, forcing the team to use Manh Hung to partner with Minh Duc. However, the SLNA coaching staff doesn't have a complete lack of players who specialize in the center-back position. Ngoc Hai has recently been considered one of the top center-backs in Vietnamese football, so why keep "forcing" him to play in central midfield? This illogical arrangement has cost SLNA dearly. Playing alongside Khac Ngoc in the center of midfield, Ngoc Hai frequently leaves gaps in front of his team's 16-meter box.

His ability to intercept and control the midfield was extremely poor, contributing to Văn Bình, Trọng Hoàng, Omar, and Uche's easy exploitation. The situation where he allowed Uche to dribble past him as if there were no defenders, then threaded a pass to Omar who shot over the crossbar early in the match, clearly shows that Ngọc Hải failed to fulfill his role as a defensive central midfielder. Ideally, the SLNA coaching staff should have deployed Ngọc Hải as a central defender to increase the solidity in front of goalkeeper Nguyên Mạnh's goal, allowing him to fully utilize his strengths to neutralize the Uche-Omar duo of FLC Thanh Hóa. Only then would the Nghệ An team's defense have had a chance to withstand the onslaught of Coach Petrovic's players.

Ngoc Hai continues to play in his preferred position as a left central midfielder.

The decision to substitute Mạnh Hùng with Ngọc Toàn, a true central midfielder, and move Ngọc Hải back to the main center-back position, was a belated attempt by Nguyễn Đức Thắng and Nguyễn Văn Thịnh to correct their mistake. While this adjustment didn't turn the tide for SLNA, it at least created a more balanced and promising game in the remaining minutes. Therefore, the SLNA coaching staff bears significant responsibility for the team's defeat.

The final result of the match is important, but equally crucial is the fighting spirit of the players. In the match between FLC Thanh Hoa and SLNA, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's players did not show that. SLNA, in the North Central Vietnam derby, was a lackluster and lifeless team, in stark contrast to their FLC Thanh Hoa counterparts. Fans from Nghe An were less saddened by the loss and more disappointed by the lack of fighting spirit displayed by the SLNA players.

Of course, one loss doesn't say much. What's important is that the SLNA coaching staff understands the issue thoroughly and seriously. Mistakes like the one in the match against FLC Thanh Hoa need to be quickly learned from and corrected. Otherwise, they should prepare for future defeats. Don't "commit suicide" before the opponent delivers the final blow, as happened in the recent match in Thanh Hoa.

Tram Uyen