Does Song Lam Nghe An depend on Olaha?

First of all, the opponent Dong A Thanh Hoa in this match advocated a crowded defense with 2 foreign central defenders including "old acquaintances" who used to play for SLNA, Gustavo and Victor, so they almost completely blocked all the attacking directions of the home team, especially the high ball situations. Meanwhile, Song Lam Nghe An, due to the absence of Olaha, so Van Duc was assigned to play with Oseni, leaving the midfield position for young player Van Viet. Overall, this was a lackluster match for the home team Vinh, although they took the initiative in the game, held the ball a lot, but were completely deadlocked by the tight defense set up by Mr. Petrovic.

SLNA had to share points with Dong A Thanh Hoa mainly due to the lack of striker Olaha. Photo: VPF

In the first match of this season, Song Lam Nghe An did not score a goal, the most obvious reason is that the team lacked 3 key players at the same time: Ojong Mark, Van Khanh and Olaha. Of the 3 key players mentioned above, Ojong Mark and Van Khanh have been absent for many matches but Song Lam Nghe An still "fired" regularly. So certainly, the main reason is the lack of striker Olaha when this striker often moves widely, causing damage to the opponent, and has been a good partner with Van Duc for many seasons (the goal in the recent match at Hang Day Stadium is a vivid example). Another thing that needs to be added is that Olaha is a player who works independently, does not show good coordination with his partner Oseni but is very "compatible" with crosses from the 2 wings of Song Lam Nghe An like the goal this player scored in the victory over Ho Chi Minh City from a cross from Dinh Hoang on the right wing.

In fact, out of the 13 goals scored by SLNA in the previous 10 matches, Olaha only scored 2 goals even though this player contributed very importantly to the overall play. The player who played with Olaha was Oseni (playing for SLNA since round 4) but contributed 3 goals. The remaining goals were scored by Ngoc Hai, Sy Hoang, Van Khanh, Basit (each scored 1 goal), Van Duc 2 goals, Xuan Manh 2 goals. Currently, SLNA has 8 names scoring (Basit has now left), so if we say that, due to the lack of Olaha, the team is helpless and deadlocked, it seems not entirely convincing?

Reviewing Song Lam Nghe An's goals this season, it can be seen that only 3 of them were made from set pieces (Ngoc Hai, Olaha, Van Khanh), attacking the wings and flanks with assists from Dinh Hoang, Sy Hoang, Van Cuong... for Olaha, Oseni, Xuan Manh to finish, attacking the center with goals from Van Duc, Sy Hoang... Is it to see that Song Lam Nghe An used to have many solutions, many scoring formulas that did not depend on any individual? So the fact that Song Lam Nghe An did not score in the match against Dong A Thanh Hoa due to the absence of Olaha is one of the reasons, but not all if the coaching staff had a more suitable personnel arrangement?

In the next match, SLNA will play away at Thien Truong Stadium, playing against a team that is in good spirits after the victory over Ho Chi Minh City in round 11, so they will face countless difficulties, completely different from the helpless situation against Dong A Thanh Hoa as mentioned above. If Van Duc cannot really create direct pressure on the home team's defense like Olaha did, should this star still play in midfield as his forte, instead of a domestic striker like Phuc Tinh or Xuan Dai? If Van Duc both participates in defense well and is a good bridge to change the state as he has always been, the opportunity to attack and counterattack will open up. At that time, Song Lam Nghe An can take turns using wing attacks when Dinh Hoang and Sy Hoang move up and Van Duc, Xuan Manh and Oseni are the important "cutting points" to finish as they have been doing for a long time.

Let Van Duc operate not only on the left wing but also in the middle with his long-range shooting weapon, when needed he can be the destination for cross-field passes, behind the opponent's defense so that this player can accelerate and score...

Hopefully, in the difficult situation from the match against Dong A Thanh Hoa, while Olaha has not returned, SLNA will have to find a way to enter the opponent's goal with the powerful weapons that are hidden. Oseni is very fast, very effective, the number 1 striker but is not the player who can "carry the team" for SLNA at this time, but needs to be shared from many different positions. Maybe Van Duc or Xuan Manh, or some breakthrough from the U18, U19 youth team?