Midfielder Le The Cuong returns to SLNA: Sleepy meets a soft mat

(Baonghean.vn) - Leaving XSKT Can Tho after a period of association, Le The Cuong was welcomed by the Nghe An team with open arms. This "reunion" is a wise move for SLNA as well as for the player himself born in 1990.

Since Ngo Quang Truong retired, Vinh Stadium has not had any player who has played successfully and stably in the left wing position. Roughly calculating over the past decade, a series of names such as: Ho Thanh Thuong, Nguyen Quang Tinh, Nguyen Hong Viet, Nguyen Dinh Hiep... were all expected by the coaching staff and fans to fill the void left by Truong "buffalo".

Season after season, one talent follows another, but the “shirt” Ngo Quang Truong still has no one to fit. It is not that these players are not good at skills, nor that they are not used regularly.

However, the possibility of success is a huge question mark.

In recent seasons, SLNA's coaching staff has always had a headache with the left midfielder position.

In V. League 2016, SLNA's coaching staff surprisingly used "veteran" Nguyen Van Vinh for the right midfielder position. In the first matches, the player born in 1984 played quite well, with 2 goals scored against QNK Quang Nam (round 3) and FLC Thanh Hoa (round 9).

Unfortunately, Nguyen Van Vinh is no longer able to maintain his best physical condition due to constant injuries and the burden of age. In the second leg, his usual position is on the bench.

Young midfielder Pham Xuan Manh was trusted, then Nguyen Phu Nguyen, both of which only brought disappointment. In desperation, SLNA's coaching staff had to pull Baba back deeper to both share the burden with the central midfielders and also take on the space on the left flank with Ho Tuan Tai. But in reality, everyone saw that in the later stages of V. League 2016, SLNA played "hanging on the left wing", only occasionally attacking here when Tran Phi Son moved over, or Baba took advantage of a gap that the opposing team forgot to exploit.

Therefore, entering the new season, the first task of SLNA's coaching board is to find a quality right winger. Pham Xuan Manh, Cao Xuan Thang, Nguyen Phu Nguyen all have great potential, but it will take 1-2 more seasons to shoulder the responsibility assigned to them.

For now, the gap in the right wing needs to be filled by a talented and experienced midfielder. The player that SLNA's coaching staff chose is none other than Le The Cuong.

Le The Cuong returned to wear SLNA shirt in the 2017 season. Photo: Internet.

Le The Cuong is not a strange name, because this player grew up in SLNA's shirt. Notably, the midfielder born in 1990 also played for the Vinh team in V. League 2014 and 2015.

With his forte playing as a left winger, the former XSKT Can Tho player did not have to spend time adapting to the “new yet old” environment of the Nghe An team. At the age of 27, he is at the peak of his career and has experience in the professional arena (playing for SLNA and XSKT Can Tho), which will be favorable conditions for Le The Cuong to play successfully with SLNA.

Possessing excellent individual skills and excellent dribbling in tight spaces, Le The Cuong is the solution to help SLNA approach the opponent's goal more easily alongside other strikers. At that time, the burden of Tran Phi Son, Ho Khac Ngoc... will be shared a lot.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Le The Cuong is a rare player at Vinh stadium who plays the best "head" both literally and figuratively.

Although he does not have an ideal physique (1m66 tall), Le The Cuong makes up for it by playing very intelligently. His ability to maneuver and choose a position is rare compared to his current teammates at SLNA.

Besides, aerial combat is an unexpected strength of the guy who is not even 1m70 tall that everyone can recognize. Many times, this small player has surprised the opponent's defense and the audience on the field with a header that looks like "coming out of the ground".

If anyone still doubts, then remember the goal that sealed the 2-0 victory for U21 SLNA against U21 Ninh Thuan in the final match of the U21 Thanh Nien Newspaper 2012 tournament. Or, like the goal for SLNA against Than Quang Ninh in V. League 2015, which also came from an aerial battle.

In the recent friendly matches of SLNA, Le The Cuong contributed 1 goal and 2 assists. Thereby, proving the talent and ability to quickly integrate of the former XSKT Can Tho player in SLNA's shirt after 1 year away. Hopefully, the presence of Le The Cuong will make the worries about the right wing midfielder position of SLNA's coaching staff and fans no longer exist in the next season./.

Thanh Hung