SLNA center back Hoang Van Khanh: The inexplicable decline

Outstanding growth

After a period of time playing for XSKT Can Tho on loan, the former U19 Vietnam player was called back by SLNA's leadership to participate in the 2016 season. Immediately, Hoang Van Khanh won the starting position next to his senior Que Ngoc Hai. With an ideal physique (1m80 tall), and a fierce but equally intelligent playing style, the central defender born in 1995 is expected to be the "second" Nguyen Huy Hoang at Vinh Stadium.

From being a backup for two seniors, Que Ngoc Hai and Pham Manh Hung, the player from Tan Ky (Nghe An) has become a mainstay in the defense of the Nghe An team. In V.League 2016, Hoang Van Khanh played a total of 22/26 matches, equivalent to 1927 minutes. In V.League 2017, the center back wearing the number 5 shirt played 24/26 matches, equivalent to 2059 minutes. These are extremely impressive numbers for a player who is only 23 years old this year.

Thanks to the stable performance of the central defender duo Que Ngoc Hai - Hoang Van Khanh, SLNA is one of the teams with the fewest goals conceded in V.League 2016 and V.League 2017 (both 36 goals). In particular, SLNA's 2017 National Cup championship has a great contribution from Hoang Van Khanh.

With excellent performances in the 2017 season, the central defender born in 1995 was called up by coach Nguyen Huu Thang to the U22 Vietnam team to participate in the 29th SEA Games held in Malaysia (August 2017).

Que Ngoc Hai - Hoang Van Khanh are considered the top central defender pair in V.League today. Photo: Document

At that tournament, Hoang Van Khanh was considered a “card up the sleeve” of coach Nguyen Huu Thang. In the two matches against weak opponents, U22 East Timor and U22 Cambodia, the SLNA midfielder was not in the starting lineup.

Only when U22 Vietnam faced two tough opponents, U22 Indonesia and U22 Thailand, did Hoang Van Khanh get to play from the start. This shows how much Coach Nguyen Huu Thang values ​​Hoang Van Khanh's talent and importance to U22 Vietnam.

Entering this year’s season, the expectations of experts and fans for Hoang Van Khanh were quite high. Objectively speaking, in the early stages, the central defender wearing the number 5 shirt was the most solid “link” in SLNA’s defense, not Que Ngoc Hai, Tran Dinh Hoang or any other player. Unfortunately, since the domestic tournament resumed after a break to make way for the Vietnam Olympic team to participate in the 18th ASIAD, Hoang Van Khanh has not maintained his usual excellence.

The Mysterious Decline

In SLNA's defeat to FLC Thanh Hoa (0 - 4) in the second leg of the National Cup semi-final on September 5, the player from Tan Ky (Nghe An) was the one who made the most personal mistakes. Hoang Van Khanh's unfortunate slip that allowed Rimario (FLC Thanh Hoa) to score to raise the score to 4 - 0 in the 83rd minute was a typical example. That's why in 3/4 recent matches, Hoang Van Khanh rarely played the full 90 minutes.

Although he was not suspended or injured, in the two matches against SHB Da Nang (round 22) and Than Quang Ninh (round 23), the 1995-born central defender was not used by SLNA's coaching staff for a single minute. It was not until the matches against FLC Thanh Hoa (round 24) and Sanna Khanh Hoa (round 25) that Hoang Van Khanh returned to the starting lineup and did not prove much.

At the end of this season, Hoang Van Khanh's performance has declined significantly. Photo: Archive

Even in SLNA's 2-1 win over Sanna Khanh Hoa, the former 22-year-old Vietnam player forced his team to concede a penalty. Witnessing his players' clumsy play, in the 83rd minute, coach Nguyen Duc Thang decided to take Hoang Van Khanh off the field to make way for Que Ngoc Hai. Observing SLNA's recent matches, everyone can see that Hoang Van Khanh's form is declining miserably.

It is almost certain that the player from Tan Ky (Nghe An) will not be present in the upcoming training session of the Vietnam National Team. According to the list just published by the media, Coach Park Hang Seo did not call up central defender Hoang Van Khanh. That also means that the dream of wearing the Vietnam National Team shirt to participate in the AFF Cup is still unfinished for the player wearing the number 5 shirt of SLNA.

At the end of the 2018 season, the central defender duo Que Ngoc Hai – Pham Manh Hung will have their contracts with SLNA expire. The burden of the Vinh team’s defense will fall on Hoang Van Khanh’s shoulders. Therefore, Nghe An fans have reason to worry as the form of the player wearing the number 5 shirt is “going downhill”.