SLNA with AFC Cup: Saying goodbye early is less painful!

During the time of having to exert all our strength in the two fronts of V.League and AFC Cup, Coach Duc Thang once affirmed that both of these arenas are the biggest goals of SLNA. He said: “V.League and AFC Cup are our two biggest goals. However, as I said, due to the high competition density in the coming time, we are forced to calculate our forces.”

“Depending on the nature of each match, we will ensure good results in both V.League and AFC Cup. The coaching staff's view is that when players enter the field, regardless of whether they are reserve or official, they must show a spirit of desire to win and give their all.”

Along with that, coach Duc Thang affirmed that there is no way SLNA team does not have enough money to play to the end in AFC Cup. The problem lies entirely in the force and potential.

Looking back, at the end of the group stage, SLNA lost almost half of its key players, namely goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh, midfielder Vo Ngoc Toan, Osmar Francisco. Players like The Cuong, Phuc Tinh, Ngoc Hai also suffered injuries one after another. Along with that, young players like Michael Olaha, Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh and Khac Ngoc were constantly overloaded with hard work.

SLNA foreign player - Osmar Francisco almost disappeared during the most important stage of the AFC Cup. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In fact, coach Duc Thang’s calculations would not have been ruined if his players had held out against Persija Jakatar in Indonesia. A match in which SLNA’s second team played with more than 100% of their strength against a team with 3 foreign players and only lost at the last minute.

Even the 2-3 loss to Johor Darul Ta'zim left some regrets for Nghe An fans and Vietnamese football fans in general. In conclusion, SLNA's force was not strong enough to ignore the poor performance in V.League and play all out in AFC Cup 2018.

If SLNA or FLC Thanh Hoa make it to the regional semi-finals, receive a bonus of 40,000 USD or become the regional champion and receive 100,000 USD, then the two representatives of Vietnam will not be able to compete with the West Asian or Central Asian teams which have very strong potential and high-class foreign players. SLNA is even more fragile with only 1 foreign player Olaha.

On the other hand, when the tournament is deep, the match time will be at night, at that time the lighting system of Vinh stadium and the grass field will not meet the standards, having to rent a field, so many problems arise. That is not to mention the grass field, seats,... The deeper the tournament, the higher the standards of facilities of the participating teams.

In the history of V.League, only B. Binh Duong and Hanoi FC are teams with depth, quality foreign players and enough strength to play to the end in this continental playground. At that time (2009), the team from Thu Dau Mot was heavily invested with about 100 billion VND/season but still could not make a difference. In 2014, the number 1 team in V.League at that time - Hanoi T&T, despite trying very hard, only made it to the quarter-finals. In 2017, this team also had to stop at the group stage.

V.League is still the most important arena for SLNA. Photo: Nguyen Hai

The rules of the AFC Cup are very open, each club is allowed to register 3 foreign players + 1 foreign player of Asian origin + 1 naturalized player in the 2018 season, but SLNA does not have much surplus in terms of transfers.

“FLC Thanh Hoa has enough finance. They were eliminated because of their expertise, not because of any other issue, because FLC Thanh Hoa also desires to go far to improve their brand. As for SLNA, we do not have that. If we have the financial potential to hire high-quality foreign players and retain key players, it is possible for us to go deep into the tournament,” explained General Director Nguyen Hong Thanh.

It can be seen that SLNA finishing the group stage in 2nd place, above Johor Darul Ta'zim, is also a great effort of coach Duc Thang and his team. There is no other way, what SLNA needs to do now is not to wander in the continental arena, the price to pay is very high. Instead, it is to find a new foreign player for phase 2, improve the performance at home. Further is the task of keeping a series of pillars born in 1993 at the end of this year.

A team that only uses players trained by itself, with a budget of only 30 billion/year, certainly cannot do anything at the AFC Cup.

And the story of Vietnamese football teams being hesitant to participate in continental competitions, seems to be not just a story of the teams themselves. It is also the plan and strategy of a football country./.

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