Before the Da Nang - SLNA match: What to do to 'cover' the right wing when Xuan Manh is absent?

Because the gap in ability between SLNA's official and reserve players is still quite large, the concern is well-founded and is a difficult problem for the team.Coach Ngo Quang Truong.

Looking at the long-standing reality of the defense, Coach Quang Truong can consider moving Dinh Dong from the left wing to the right wing thanks to the versatility of this veteran defender and calculate the use of The Nhat or Sy Nam, Sy Hoang... from the bench accordingly. Quang Truong may also not make too many changes when keeping Dinh Dong's left-back position to block the opponent's main attack direction and finding a way to reinforce the right wing with a midfielder with good defensive tendencies such as Van Viet to ensure the safety of the right wing.

Pham Xuan Manh scores in a friendly match against HL Ha Tinh. Photo courtesy of Xuan Thuy

Certainly, throughout the match, Quang Truong will ask Van Duc to operate widely, not confined to the left wing as usual, forcing the opponent to exert all his strength to stick to the midfielder who is highly unpredictable and ready to explode at any time; or ask foreign striker Peter with his abundant available energy, to pay close attention to supporting the midfield, especially on the right wing when he clearly sees that the opponent is deliberately "digging" into the replacement position to focus on "bullying".

Everyone knows that the best defense is to attack, so Quang Truong must have specific plans. The question is, what “sources” will provide the ball to Bruno and Peter so that this foreign striker pair does not fall into the situation of “running around empty?”

Pham Xuan Manh played quite impressively in the match against HAGL. Photo courtesy of Xuan Thuy

When he was still physically fit, Dinh Dong was no stranger to this task, such as the assist for Van Lam to score a beautiful goal in the away match against Hanoi last season. Also in this match of his life, young midfielder Dinh Tien was very mature in his coordination and crossing the ball into the opponent's penalty area. If he could enter the field, young defender Sy Hoang with his precise and trademark crosses would also be a possible option. Not to mention another more diverse approach to share with the strikers is the direct shots from Sy Sam, Dinh Chau... who are eager to get their names on the scoreboard.

Of course, when there is no one on the fieldXuan Manh, the team's greatest hope is placed on Van Duc's shoulders as usual. This midfielder will certainly be surrounded, pushed back when he rarely has the ball and if he does, it will not be favorable for him to deploy coherently as desired. Therefore, saying that Van Duc needs to operate widely as above is according to that "circle", the team needs Van Duc's transitional role as a bridge for rapid counter-attacks when the opportunity opens up.

Finally, it should be said that in the last few seasons,SLNAhas gotten used to the situation of not having Van Duc and Xuan Manh in the squad because this duo is overloaded after the glorious stage of the U23 Asia Cup 2018. Xuan Manh missed the opportunity in the AFF Cup 2018, ASIAN Cup 2019, then continued to get injured after the match against Nam Dinh in round 18 of V. League 2019, missed most of V. League 2020... so missing a match is not a new thing for the team even though his presence in the squad is extremely important. Coach Quang Truong will therefore handle this situation well because he still has all the cards that have been warmed up and ready to go into battle./.