National U15 Championship: 'Card manipulation' and its consequences

(Baonghean.vn) - The image of SLNA U15 captain Phan Bá Quyền clapping and smiling after receiving the first red card in the match against HAGL U15 and the match against Viettel U15 has left many viewers with much to think about..

Although they only won a bronze medal, in our opinion, the SLNA U15 team's level has come closer to that of PVF and Viettel. However, based on our observations of the 2017 National U15 Championship - Thai Son Bac Cup, SLNA still has a lot of work to do to regain its past glory, both for the coaching staff and the players.

Remove card

Even outside of Vietnam, foreign professional players still cunningly "get yellow cards." Coaches and players have the right to make personal decisions, resting in unnecessary matches for the long term. But the image of U15 SLNA captain Phan Bá Quyền clapping and smiling after receiving a yellow card on the Tây Ninh pitch is unnecessary, if not downright offensive.

In 3 matches, captain Ba Quyen received 2 red cards. Photo: Dung Nguyen

According to coach Quang Trường's calculations, receiving this red card would allow Bá Quyền to rest for the match against Tây Ninh and be in good shape for the semi-final against Viettel. However, given the U15 age group, this calculation by the SLNA coaching staff proved wrong as they failed to anticipate the psychology of young players.

With their morale low and facing a tough opponent, the SLNA defense, under the command of Ba Quyen, played like a headless chicken. They were constantly outmaneuvered by wing midfielders Ngoc Tu and Van Khang, with one instance of national team player Van Khang dribbling past two or three SLNA U15 players. Center-back Van Ba ​​even panicked and cleared the ball in a situation where no one was challenging for it.

The awkwardness and the need to deliberately play rough to block the attacks of Thanh Trung, Bá Dương, Trung Đạo… led to the SLNA defense receiving numerous yellow cards. SLNA U15 captain Phan Bá Quyền himself received a red card and is likely to miss out on the tournament's ideal team.

Despite being an aggressive, determined player with good game reading abilities, it's a great pity that Ba Quyen received two red cards in just three matches. Coach Quang Truong and the U15 SLNA coaching staff cannot be said to be blameless in their calculations regarding the peak performance of this number 4 player.

Solid rock

After conceding two goals, the SLNA U15 players rallied to find a goal with great effort and a commendable fighting spirit. However, it must be said that the SLNA young players played too roughly, with Quang Thuan, Ba Quyen, Van Cuong, Van Ba, and others receiving yellow cards.

In many situations, SLNA players tackled the ball extremely dangerously, not unlike their senior teammate Que Ngoc Hai. Even players with good individual skills like Xuan Tien and Van Thong contested the ball in a "destructive" manner, causing many reporters watching the match on screen to shake their heads in dismay.

SLNA U15 coaching staff at the National U15 Championship - Thai Son Bac Cup. Photo: Dung Nguyen

Many of the SLNA U15 players on the field may still be bitter about their loss to Viettel in last year's U13 National Championship final in Thai Binh, and now they've lost again, causing them to lose their composure. But football isn't just a battleground; the players also have a duty to entertain the spectators. The SLNA U15 coaching staff failed to control the heated tempers, resulting in a 0-2 defeat, but the players focused more on rough play than on organizing attacks.

Clearly, on the sidelines, Viettel's coach Minh Dung showed shrewdness in devising strategies to neutralize SLNA's Quang Thuan and Xuan Tien, while coach Quang Truong left a very negative "mark" in the final tournament.

Perhaps, when they calmly sit down together, Coach Ngo Quang Truong and his players will analyze and dissect this defeat in more detail. Sometimes we have to accept defeat in order to achieve victory in the future!

AT