Song Lam Nghe An and signs of rebirth after the victory over Binh Dinh?

The least effective attack in V-League

As of the end of round 16,Lam River Nghe Anhave only scored 11 goals, equal to SHB Da Nang and Binh Dinh - the two teams currently at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, Hoang Anh Gia Lai - the team right above Song Lam Nghe An - has scored 17 goals. Clearly, the ability to score goals is a difficult problem for the Nghe An team.

The main reason comes from the poor performance of the foreign duo Kuku and Olaha. Both have only scored a total of 6 goals after 16 rounds, a complete contrast to last season when Olaha shone with 13 goals. Olaha played ineffectively, handled the ball cumbersomely, slowing down the attack. Meanwhile, Kuku has not been able to find harmony with his teammates, leading to the attack playing disjointedly.

At the beginning of the season, Song Lam Nghe An lacked a midfielder capable of organizing the game. This caused the team to lack the necessary connection between the lines. Song Lam Nghe An mainly relied on long passes to the two strikers, so they were easily predicted by the opponent, lacking suddenness in attacking situations.

In addition, in the first rounds of the season, physical strength was also a weakness of the team when many players lost strength from the 60th minute onwards, leading to losing control of the game in the final minutes. This is one of the reasons why Song Lam Nghe An became the team with the least effective attack in the V-League.

Important turning point

Unlike the previous deadlocked matches, Song Lam Nghe An has had a rather good performance in recent rounds, especially in the reception of Binh Dinh. The team controlled the ball better, attacked more diversely, combining both long balls and central situations.

The appearance of Khac Ngoc in midfield helps Song Lam Nghe An have a real "conductor". The smart passes and ability to control the match of the player born in 1992 have given the Vinh team a smoother attack, creating many dangerous opportunities. Wingers such as Ngo Van Luong, Long Vu or Manh Quynh also showed good ability to move flexibly to exploit the space.

Olaha, although not yet back to his peak form, played more effectively. He actively moved, coordinated with his teammates and handled things more neatly in the penalty area. However, Song Lam Nghe An still could not completely solve the problem of finishing when missing many delicious opportunities, which could cause them difficulties in the upcoming important matches.

Another positive sign is that the players’ physical strength has clearly improved. Against Binh Dinh, Song Lam Nghe An maintained a stable playing intensity throughout the 90 minutes, no longer running out of breath in the final minutes like before. This is an encouraging bright spot in the context of the increasingly fierce relegation race.

With 16 points after 16 rounds, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team is at least 14 points away from the safety threshold in the remaining 10 rounds. This means they have to win an average of 1.4 points/match - not an easy task.

However, the upcoming schedule brings favorable opportunities. In the next 3 rounds, Song Lam Nghe An will face Ho Chi Minh City, Thanh Hoa and Quang Nam - teams with unstable performance. If they make good use of these matches, the Nghe team can completely win from 6 to 9 points, thereby creating favorable psychological momentum for the remaining journey.

Although the victory over Binh Dinh cannot confirm that Song Lam Nghe An has completely transformed, at least the team has shown positive signs. If they continue to maintain improvements in their playing style and increase their scoring efficiency, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's students can decide their own fate.

The relegation battle is still fierce, but with the signs of regeneration that Song Lam Nghe An has shown, fans have every reason to expect that the home team will soon escape and achieve the set goal.