Song Lam Nghe An and the reform of the defense line

Looking for a new partner for captain Que Ngoc Hai

In the 2022 V.League season, although they often play with a 3-center-back formation, the Nghe An team's defense does not bring peace of mind to fans, especially in the second leg. The lack of high concentration as at the beginning of the season and the weakness in defending against high balls are the reasons for the record of 5 losses and 4 draws in 12 second-leg matches. The task of strengthening the defense before the new season is an urgent task for the team's coaching staff.Lam River Nghe An.Especially when the Nghe An team just said goodbye to veteran center back Hoang Van Khanh.

Having a foreign central defender to pair with Que Ngoc Hai will bring peace of mind to Song Lam Nghe An's defense. Photo: VPF

Last season, the former captain of Song Lam Nghe An played 17 matches and scored 1 goal. Although there were some matches that were below his ability, Van Khanh was still one of the most stable defenders of the Nghe team. The others such as Thai Ba Sang, Ho Khac Luong or Pham The Nhat only played a fair role alongside captain Que Ngoc Hai. Therefore, the coaching staff of the Nghe team is actively looking for a quality foreign central defender to play with the central defender of the Vietnam National Team. This is a reasonable solution because last season, the physical disadvantage of the Song Lam Nghe An central defenders was one of the reasons leading to the weakness in the Nghe team's defense against high balls. With this quality foreign central defender, the defense of Song Lam Nghe An will bring peace of mind when facing the strong attacks of the top teams in the V.League today such as Hanoi Club, Topenland Binh Dinh Club and Viettel Club.

However, using foreign players in defense will also limit the number of foreign players for the front line, at that time the coaching staff of Nghe An team will have to weigh and measure to recruit suitable foreign players to serve the attack front of Song Lam Nghe An.

Besides recruiting quality foreign central defenders, next season the Nghe An team may introduce quality young central defenders from the youth ranks. They may be the new Huy Hoang or Que Ngoc Hai of Song Lam Nghe An in the near future.

The right wing is relatively secure.

Among the defensive positions, the right wing is the most secure position of Song Lam Nghe An. With Tran Dinh Hoang or Ho Van Cuong, the right wing always has quite rhythmic situations of attacking and defending. Dinh Hoang's experience and Van Cuong's continuous progress will help Song Lam Nghe An's right wing continue to bring peace of mind to Nghe An audiences next season.

In addition, veteran Trong Hoang can also play well as a right-back, a position that coach Park Hang-seo often assigns him to in the Vietnam national team. Therefore, the right-back position will have many options for the Nghe An coaching staff in V.League 2023.

Left wing concerns

In contrast to the right wing, the left wing brings worries to fans of Song Lam Nghe An Club. First is veteran Tran Dinh Dong officially retiring after nearly 15 years of professional competition. Although this season,Dong TempleAlthough he did not play much (9 matches), the experience of this Anh Son defender is still very necessary for the Nghe An team. Every time he plays, Tran Dinh Dong still plays with great effort and enthusiasm. Although he does not have the same offensive and defensive situations as he did at the peak of his career, he still ensures the solidity of the home field every time he plays. At the age of 35, it is understandable that veteran Dinh Dong is retiring from football and that creates conditions for young players to have more opportunities to prove themselves in the 2023 V.League season.

Defender Mai Sy Hoang will have to improve a lot in the new season to bring stability on the left wing. Photo: VPF

Another player playing in the left-back position is Mai Sy Hoang. After a fairly successful first half of the season with 1 goal and 2 assists, the defender from Dien Chau has declined rapidly in the second half. Not only is he ineffective in attack, Mai Sy Hoang's position is often exploited by the opponent in lightning counterattacks. He gradually lost his position to veteran Dinh Dong and young player Ho Van Cuong. If he continues to not improve in the new season, Mai Sy Hoang will certainly continue to get used to the bench in V.League 2023.

The instability of the left wing position brings a lot of worries to the coaching staff of the Nghe An team before the new season. Especially when the youth teams of Song Lam Nghe An currently do not have worthy successors. The options of pushing Ho Van Cuong to the left wing or pulling midfielder Pham Xuan Manh to play in this position are only last resort options. Therefore, the problem of reinforcing the left wing of Song Lam Nghe An will be a difficult problem for coach Huy Hoang before the 2023 season.

Ho Van Cuong's progress will bring peace of mind on the right wing in the new season. Photo: VPF

After the first season leading Song Lam Nghe An to compete in the V.League, coach Huy Hoang certainly recognized the strengths and weaknesses of the Nghe team. Careful preparation in terms of personnel will be the premise for Song Lam Nghe An to compete well in the 2023 V.League season. Nghe fans hope to see a strong and excellent Song Lam Nghe An return next season.