SLNA and 2 difficult problems

Center back position

The failure to retain the central defender duo Ngoc Hai - Manh Hung has made the central defender position of the Nghe An team a very alarming issue. Currently, coach Nguyen Duc Thang only has 2 experienced central defenders, Van Khanh and The Nhat. This is too small a number for a professional team.

Without rushing to discuss the quality of the central defender pair Van Khanh - The Nhat, just the quantity alone is already a huge problem for SLNA in the new season. In case one of these two players is injured, receives a penalty card or loses form, the consequences for the Nghe An team will be huge. Simply put, who will coach Nguyen Duc Thang choose to "replace" them?

SLNA's defense became more fragile after Ngoc Hai's departure. Photo: Archive

There are 3 options for SLNA's coaching staff to solve the above problem, which are buying a foreign central defender, buying a domestic central defender from another team and promoting a defender from the youth team. All 3 options above have their own advantages and disadvantages and depend on many factors. Specifically here is the financial potential of the team.

Number of foreign players

Since the 2019 season, V.League teams will be allowed to register 3 foreign players. For a team with not really strong financial potential like SLNA, VPF’s change is only “little benefit, much harm”. While giants like Hanoi FC, FLC Thanh Hoa, B.Binh Duong, Quang Nam… are strong and will become stronger, the Nghe An team still has to “mark time”.

It is not known whether Olaha will continue to be associated with SLNA or not? Photo: Document

Don't forget that last season, with the participation in AFC Cup 2018, SLNA and FLC Thanh Hoa were allowed by VPF to register 3 foreign players. However, the Vinh team only registered 2 people, Olaha and Osmar. Because, the budget for the season of SLNA is too tight. Money has always been a difficult problem for the Nghe An team for many years.

At this time, SLNA has not yet finished negotiating with the new sponsor. Therefore, everything related to finance is still pending. It is worth mentioning that the teams in V.League are conducting trial sessions loudly, while SLNA is still "sitting still". As long as the "new sponsor" has not officially revealed himself, coach Nguyen Duc Thang will have to endure "headaches".

In fact, what SLNA is facing is an eternal story at Vinh Stadium. More than anyone else, the leadership and coaching staff of the Nghe An team have foreseen and have made certain calculations to help the team overcome difficulties./.