SLNA and the story of tactics on the field.
(Baonghean.vn) - SLNA is a team with a long tradition, respected by experts and fans alike. However, the reality is that recently, along with their poor performance in the V. League, experts and those involved have openly stated, "This is all Song Lam can do. They've played the same way in 9 consecutive matches" (quoting coach Pham Minh Duc, HL-HT team, July 2020).
The reason this coach said that is because the two neighboring teams have played many friendly matches against each other, and have also met in tournaments. In the Nghe An derby match at Vinh Stadium last season, the two teams drew 1-1, leading to Coach Minh Duc's statement. It's also worth noting that...SLNAFrom being superior to their neighbors, they gradually became equal and then fell behind, when in the rematch in round 10 of the V. League on April 17, 2021, the home team SLNA unexpectedly lost to HL-HT with a score of 0-2 and were pushed down to the bottom of the standings until now.
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| Although SLNA still faces many challenges ahead this season, with significant changes from the sponsor and the team, fans in Nghe An can have faith that in the not-too-distant future, SLNA will create new miracles. (Photo: Duc Anh) |
Therefore, whether one likes it or not, one must rely on an official statement from those involved to clarify SLNA's tactical approach, especially in the context of the team's restructuring.
This author has discussed this issue more than once and consistently maintains the view that the formation used is not as important as maximizing the abilities of each player, each position, and the entire team on the field to achieve victory. SLNA has always played in a 4-4-2 formation, so Mr. Minh Duc's statement that "that's all they can do" and "they've played like that in the last 9 matches" is correct, and frankly, the criticism is justified, as the results speak for themselves. The question is, why doesn't Coach Quang Truong change his formation? Is it due to habit or other reasons? Of course, this question now falls on Coach Huy Hoang: would he dare to change his formation and playing style when he has his strongest and most preferred squad?
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| A training session of SLNA. (Photo courtesy) |
In the recent EURO 2020 final, Italy's coach Mancini remained unfazed by England's decision to switch from a four-defender formation to a three-centre-back (a formation that had previously given England a spectacular 2-0 victory over Germany). Mancini simply instructed his players to stick with their usual four-defender system and maintain an unchanged lineup. Ultimately, Italy still achieved favorable results, from equalizing to winning on penalties.
In another development, Dutch fans even hired a light aircraft to fly a banner demanding that Dutch coach F. de Boe revert to the traditional 4-3-3 formation for EURO 2020, regardless of how the opponent changes their lineup… This illustrates that while the tactical formation is important, it's useless if it doesn't utilize its full potential!
But there are also cases where, without changing the formation, you lose, when you passively allow the opponent to do whatever they want. This was evident at EURO 2020, where the German team played brilliantly against Portugal thanks to the winback pairing of Gonsens and Kimmich. Aware of this crucial point, in the Round of 16 match against Germany, England's coach Southgate switched from the familiar 4-4-2 formation to a 3-5-2, using the same winback pairing of Shaw and Trippier to counter the opponent, preventing them from crossing the halfway line to participate in attacks as they usually do.
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| SLNA is a team with a consistent and enduring tradition. (Photo courtesy of Duc Anh) |
Clearly, from the examples above, it can be seen that a team that plays with varied formations is still a team that "knows itself and its opponents," and Coach Huy Hoang must certainly train himself and SLNA to become familiar with this important principle. He absolutely cannot cling to an old style, allowing opponents to anticipate his moves and then frantically try to keep up. However, if during training, all indicators and statistics show a firm belief that playing with the familiar 4-4-2 formation will be most effective, then he must remain steadfast and proceed accordingly, not changing his approach because of anything else, especially from those…keyboard warriors!
Remember at the 2002 World Cup, the Russian team under coach Romansev used an outdated, slow, and lifeless style of play, losing even to Japan, and subsequently earning the embarrassing nickname "the Jurassic team" (a parody of the prehistoric film Jurassic Park). SLNA, having been told "that's all there is to it," must do everything possible to make others realize that SLNA is not just that, but much more, starting today...
