Song Lam Nghe An and the problem of Michael Olaha's absence

This season, Michael Olaha has had 5 goals and 1 assist after 22 appearances. This is a far cry from last season's performance of this striker. However, the Nigerian striker still plays a very important role in the team's play.Lam River Nghe An.

Especially in recent matches. Michael Olaha's ability to sweep and tirelessly work has helped the Nghe An team compete with strong teams such as The Cong Viettel, Hanoi Club or Thep Xanh Nam Dinh. Unfortunately, bad luck has prevented Song Lam Nghe An from scoring points against these championship candidates. Therefore, the absence of Michael Olaha in the upcoming match will be a difficult problem for coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his colleagues.

However, this is not the first time Michael Olaha has been absent from Song Lam Nghe An's squad. In early 2025, the Nigerian striker was injured and had to miss 3 matches of the team. Surprisingly, in these 3 matches, Song Lam Nghe An had 2 wins and 1 draw against Cong An Ha Noi right at Hang Day Stadium. This shows that the Coaching Board of the Nghe team also has backup plans in case 1 of the 2 foreign players in the attack is absent.

The first is to arrange Dinh Xuan Tien to play as an attacking midfielder right behind Benjamin Kuku. This is the plan that coach Phan Nhu Thuat used in 3 matches whenMichael Olahaabsent. The midfielder wearing the number 9 shirt possesses the ability to run intelligently, pass the ball creatively and finish very well. Therefore, the presence of Dinh Xuan Tien brings flexibility to the attacks of Song Lam Nghe An.

In addition, the placement of Dinh Xuan Tien on the field also helps Song Lam Nghe An play more balanced. Song Lam Nghe An's attacks will be evenly distributed in all three directions, making it difficult for opponents to predict the attacks of the Nghe team.

In addition, Dinh Xuan Tien also possesses a very good ability to take free kicks. The set-piece situations of this midfielder wearing the number 9 shirt often have an unpleasant ball trajectory, creating many storms towards the opponent's goal. Typically, the situation of assisting Phan Ba ​​Quyen to score in the match against Thep Xanh Nam Dinh or the free kick that almost scored in the match against The Cong Viettel. It can be said that Dinh Xuan Tien will be a quality option to replace Michael Olaha in the upcoming match.

The only downside of this midfielder wearing the number 9 shirt is his physical strength. This player born in 2003 can only play effectively for about 60 minutes. Therefore, the coaching staff of the Nghe An team needs to have backup plans to replace Dinh Xuan Tien when he is not physically fit.

That could be midfielder Tran Manh Quynh, who has good personal technique and the ability to dribble quite skillfully. However, Manh Quynh's final touches are not neat and accurate.

It could also be striker Phan Xuan Dai, who has good speed and dribbling ability. This striker born in 2003 scored the only goal to help Song Lam Nghe An win against Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Vinh Stadium in the 2023 season.

However, this season, injuries have caused the striker from Yen Thanh to rarely play. Therefore, his playing feeling will also be a big question mark for Phan Xuan Dai.

It can be said,Coach Phan Nhu ThuatThere will be a lot of work to do to solve the problem of Michael Olaha's absence in the upcoming match. Hopefully, nearly 20 days off will help this coach born in 1984 find the best solutions to help Song Lam Nghe An win the upcoming match.