The Lam River in Nghe An and what needs to be done immediately?

Reinforce the forces.

There's a saying, "You need flour to make dough," and the force ofLam River, Nghe AnCurrently, it's no different from a U21 team plus 3 foreign players competing in Vietnam's top football league. The skill level of the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team isn't particularly impressive. The clearest example of this was their elimination in the recent National U21 Championship, where Song Lam Nghe An was knocked out in the qualifying round. The quality of their domestic players is both poor and inexperienced, and their foreign players haven't lived up to expectations.

This has been proven after 9 rounds of matches.V-LeagueSong Lam Nghe An's center-back Zaracho has been a major disappointment. Slow play, poor situational awareness, and a lack of strength in tackles are evident in the Paraguayan player's performance. Zaracho's presence in the squad hasn't strengthened Song Lam Nghe An's defense. Evidence of this is that in the 7 matches he has played, Song Lam Nghe An has conceded 8 goals. It feels like whenever the opponent attacks, Song Lam Nghe An's goal is in a state of red alert.

Therefore, if they don't quickly find a capable foreign center-back to shoulder the team's defense, the risk of being eliminated from the competition will become increasingly imminent for the team based in Vinh.

On the other hand, it can be said that the current Song Lam Nghe An squad is severely lacking in strength and composure in their gameplay. According to analysis from experts, the team currently lacks a "backbone" with sufficient skill and strength to compete in the V-League. If the Nghe An team had a player capable of recovering the ball, transitioning play, and controlling the midfield, then surely they wouldn't be unable to score goals or take the initiative against their opponents as they are now.

Therefore, perhaps this is the time when Song Lam Nghe An desperately needs a capable foreign midfielder to help them escape their current predicament.

With a solid "backbone" consisting of a foreign center-back and midfielder, and Olaha playing as the furthest forward in the attack, the young domestic players will be able to fully utilize their technical skills. It's very possible that Song Lam Nghe An will show a completely different face, rather than the weak, uninspired team they are currently.

And to achieve that, there's no other way than for Song Lam Nghe An's sponsors to quickly inject the necessary funds, rather than waiting until it's too late and then trying to "build a barn" is pointless.

Complete change

In a post-match interview after the loss to Viettel in round 9 of the V-League,Coach Phan Nhu ThuatHe stated: "There will be a lot of work ahead for us." Indeed, even with reinforcements, Song Lam Nghe An still has a lot of work to do.

Fortunately for Song Lam Nghe An, the V-League will have a two-month break after round 9. This will be a golden opportunity for coach Phan Nhu Thuat to rebuild the team's playing style. The coaching staff needs to quickly restructure the team's tactics. Through the nine rounds, it's clear that Song Lam Nghe An has mostly used a 3-5-2 formation, a formation the players have practiced extensively. In fact, in some matches, Song Lam Nghe An has operated quite smoothly with this formation. However, if they are confined to a single familiar formation, opponents will easily anticipate their playing style. For example, in the match against Viettel, coach Nguyen Duc Thang thoroughly studied Song Lam Nghe An's tactics, effectively exploiting the team's weaknesses.

Therefore, Song Lam Nghe An needs to be more flexible in its use of formations and tactics to avoid being predictable to opponents.

Simultaneously, Song Lam Nghe An also needs to consider the spacing between each line and position. In some matches, at various times, the distance between players in the Nghe An team's formation was quite large. This affected the ability to provide cover between lines and players. A clear example was the match against Viettel, where Song Lam Nghe An revealed many weaknesses, mainly due to the players' lack of timely connection and support for each other. Therefore, to strengthen defensive solidity and improve attacking effectiveness, closing down the team's formation is an option that the Song Lam Nghe An coaching staff needs to consider.

Furthermore, the attacking players often struggle to receive the ball or create surprises in their attacking combinations, a problem that Song Lam Nghe An has revealed. This stems from the players' off-ball movement. Variation in movement and finding space is something that Song Lam Nghe An lacks. This is one of the reasons why Song Lam Nghe An is often short of ideas in their approach to the opponent's goal.

It's safe to say that a two-month break is very long for a national football championship, and it could affect teams that have already found their rhythm, such as Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, or Hong Linh Ha Tinh. However, for Song Lam Nghe An, this break is like a magic potion, helping the team successfully treat its existing problems. Hopefully, when the V-League returns, Song Lam Nghe An will showcase a new face, with renewed vitality, thereby breaking out of the relegation zone as it is currently.