SLNA's tradition of 'harvesting young rice' and the double-edged sword of young players
(Baonghean.vn) - From the past until now, Song Lam Nghe An is a football team that has always had a tradition of trusting young players. This year, this policy continues to be promoted by the Nghe An team. Although it has not really brought results, it still brings positive signs at first.
The tradition of “harvesting young rice” is no longer strange to a team like SLNA. From the generation of Van Sy Thuy to Nguyen Huy Hoang, Pham Van Quyen, Le Cong Vinh to the generation of Trong Hoang, all were promoted to the first team to participate in the V.League very early by the head coaches. There are many players who became professional players when they were only 17 years old.
However, V.League 2020 is a special, normal and also abnormal season for SLNA. Normal because after the departure of a series of key players such as Khac Ngoc, Dinh Hoang, SLNA continues to rely on the source of players trained by themselves. Believing in young players, SLNA's coaching board prioritizes using 1 foreign central defender and 2 strikers, not using foreign players for the central midfielder position.
The unusual thing is that before V.League 2019, SLNA only promoted 2 players, Le Thanh Lam and Nguyen Ba Duc. Only Ba Duc played once, the time was measured in minutes. However, in V.League 2020, there were 8 players who were promoted to play in V.League, even some players who had just played for U19 SLNA, had not breathed the air of the Second Division or First Division.
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| SLNA's starting lineup at V.League 2020 usually has 3-4 young players. Photo: SLNA FC |
If we count the case of central defender Nguyen Ba Duc who is playing at Hai Phong Club on loan, SLNA has introduced 11 faces in the past 2 years. They are 2 goalkeepers Van Tu, Van Cuong; defenders Ba Sang, Sy Hoang, Thanh Lam; midfielders Dinh Chau, Van Lam, Ngoc Anh, Dinh Tien, Van Viet.
After the last 11 matches in V.League, only two goalkeepers and central defender Le Thanh Lam have not played. Even players like Dinh Chau, Ba Sang, Van Lam, Dinh Tien are trusted to be the main players of SLNA in a fierce arena like V.League. The duo Dinh Chau - Van Lam is also the youngest central midfielder pair of the tournament.
That was a somewhat reckless policy of Coach Quang Truong and SLNA's coaching staff. Because after 5 sublime matches with an undefeated record and a clean sheet, they returned to earth with 5 losses and 1 draw. As Coach Quang Truong commented, they lacked experience, but they had youth, desire and the unique qualities of a young player. That was the spirit of having nothing left to lose, the spirit of dedication.
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| Midfielder Tran Ngoc Anh (SLNA) scores in the internal match of U22 Vietnam. Photo: Hai Hoang |
Unable to retain Khac Ngoc, Ngoc Toan, unable to retain veteran midfielder Van Binh, and unable to choose a foreign midfielder to play as central midfielder, SLNA is suffering the consequences of lacking a leader and relying too much on Phan Van Duc. SLNA's 11th place with 12 points and silly goals conceded speak for themselves.
On the contrary, SLNA’s “harvesting unripe rice” policy, although considered quite massive, brings quite optimistic signals for the future. Most of SLNA’s young players have breathed the V.League atmosphere, trained for a long time in a top-notch environment and are showing clear progress.
When players like Ba Sang, Van Lam, Ngoc Anh joined the U22 Vietnam team, they also had differences compared to their teammates playing in the lower divisions. That is the mentality, accumulation, and thinking of the players playing in the National Championship. Star Phan Van Duc was also very "unknown" before shining and the current generation of juniors are following that path.
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| Midfielder Dang Van Lam and defender Thai Ba Sang are players who have played over 700 minutes in V.League 2020. Photo: Hai Hoang |
The young players born in 1999 of SLNA were not highly regarded, with no titles at the youth level, but looking at it objectively, they are having a dream start, with much greater opportunities to prove themselves than their predecessors. Although those starts have not really brought immediate success.
Every year, SLNA faces a series of players leaving. However, if the senior players do not leave, Dinh Chau and Van Lam will have a hard time performing. The wins, losses, and valuable lessons in V.League will help them grow up day by day. "The next wave will push the previous wave", that is the inevitable rule.
"The young players of SLNA are like rough diamonds. When they practice and compete regularly, one day they will shine."
Unfortunately, SLNA often has to deal with constant injuries from key players, causing instability in their playing style. Foreign players also do not perform as expected, otherwise SLNA would be a worthy example of V.League in training and nurturing talent. This is something that a national team head coach like Mr. Park Hang-seo always expects.
In 2021, U22 Vietnam will participate in the SEA Games and the official faces will be selected from nearly 50 current players. Coach Park's "gold panning" and the goal of winning an official position for the U22 Vietnam players still have a long way to go, but the Nghe An players have great advantages. The advantage is born from a special training center like SLNA.
Song Lam Nghe An and the problems that need to be solved when V.League 2020 returns
(Baonghean.vn) - After 11 matches of the 2020 V.League, a series of weaknesses of SLNA have been exposed. If these limitations are not overcome and improved soon, the Nghe An team will find it difficult to compete in the group of 8 strong teams to avoid relegation.
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