SLNA with the difficult problem of 'no Memovic' when meeting Nam Dinh

The importance of the Serbian central defender to SLNA is beyond debate. With a height of 1m91, Memovic not only impresses in aerial combat, but also excels in his ability to read situations and cover for his teammates. Thanks to Memovic, SLNA is the team with the fewest goals conceded in V.League 2019, after 17 rounds (16 goals).

In addition, the player wearing the number 4 shirt also showed his sharpness in attacking situations. The goal against Quang Nam in the 1/8 round of the National Cup or the free kick that hit the post of HAGL's goal in the 17th round of the V.League recently are typical examples.

Since arriving at Vinh Stadium, Memovic has not missed a single match of SLNA. According to statistics, the 30-year-old central defender has played 17/17 matches in the V.League arena and 1 match in the National Cup. With 1620 minutes, Memovic is the player with the most playing time of SLNA, up to this point.

Memovic (number 4) is an important "card" of coach Nguyen Duc Thang. Photo: VPF

Unfortunately, Memovic will not be able to participate in the match between Nam Dinh and SLNA in round 18, due to having received enough yellow cards (3 cards). The absence of the Serbian player will significantly affect the strength of the Nghe An team, especially in defense. The problem for the SLNA coaching staff is extremely difficult.

Currently, in the hands of coach Nguyen Duc Thang, besides Hoang Van Khanh, only Pham The Nhat, Nguyen Ba Duc and Le Thanh Lam are true central defenders. At this time, Nguyen Ba Duc has joined the U22 Vietnam training camp, Le Thanh Lam has no experience in the field. Therefore, it is likely that Pham The Nhat will play instead of his senior Memovic.

Will Pham The Nhat be the replacement? Photo: Archive

Before round 18 of V.League 2019, the central defender born in 1991 had only appeared in SLNA's starting lineup 3 times (2 matches in V.League, 1 match in National Cup).

If used by the SLNA coaching staff, this will be the first match this season where Pham The Nhat will play alongside Hoang Van Khanh in the central defender position. Obviously, Nghe An fans have reason to worry about the solidity of the home team's defense. Not to mention, Hoang Van Khanh's recent form is a question mark.