Song Lam Nghe An's U17 and U21 teams came away empty-handed, why?
U17 Song Lam Nghe An were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2024 National U17 Championship. At the same time, U21 Song Lam Nghe An also failed to qualify for this year's tournament. Why did these two historically successful teams end up empty-handed?
A glorious past
In the past, U17 Song Lam Nghe An dominated the National U17 Championship. Over the 18 editions of the tournament, U17 Song Lam Nghe An has won the championship 8 times. Currently, the team from Nghe An holds the record for the most championships in this competition.
The last time U17 Song Lam Nghe An lifted the championship trophy was in the 2020 season. This tournament also discovered a number of talented players from U17 Song Lam Nghe An, including Phan Xuan Dai, Nguyen Van Bach, Ho Van Cuong, and others.
Following that success, U17 Song Lam Nghe An's performance declined in subsequent years, only winning a Bronze Medal. Even in the 2024 season, U17 Song Lam Nghe An didn't have control over their own destiny regarding advancing beyond the group stage. The team had to rely on the results of other matches in the final round to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
In the knockout match, U17 Song Lam Nghe An seemed to have the upper hand after scoring the opening goal. However, after playing with ten men for most of the remaining time, coach Phan Tien Hoai's team had to accept defeat against U17 Hanoi. This result has caused many fans in Nghe An to worry about the potential decline of this youth team.
At the same time as the National U17 Championship Finals, the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team also entered the qualifying rounds of the National U21 Championship. In the past, the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team has always been a strong contender for the championship title. Over the 26 editions of the National U21 Championship, the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team has won 5 gold trophies (second only to Hanoi).
Entering this year's qualifying round, U21 Song Lam Nghe An possessed the aura of a major force. Although they were in the same group as the defending champions U21 PVF and U21 Thanh Hoa, given their established tradition, no one expected them to be eliminated in the qualifying round. However, that unexpected outcome became a reality, and the team from Nghe An was eliminated early.
Reasons for going broke
With the poor results of the U17 and U21 Song Lam Nghe An teams, many spectators have questioned why these two teams ended up empty-handed this season.
Firstly, it's clear that the U17 Song Lam Nghe An team lacks a truly balanced squad in terms of skill level. More than half of the players in the U17 Song Lam Nghe An team were born in 2009. This age difference leads to several limitations for the U17 Nghe An team, including: professional skills, footballing intelligence, physical strength, and experience. This has affected the chemistry between the two generations of players. This is the reason why U17 Song Lam Nghe An is weaker this season compared to previous seasons.
Furthermore, coach Phan Tiến Hoài's team lacked any outstanding players capable of leadership. Therefore, U17 Sông Lam Nghệ An's performance was not entirely convincing. In addition, luck was also against U17 Sông Lam Nghệ An. Specifically, in the quarter-final match, if U17 Sông Lam Nghệ An hadn't lost a player, U17 Hà Nội would have struggled to reverse the situation.
However, all those explanations are subjective. Hopefully, after this year's tournament, the U17 players from Nghe An will learn a lesson and become more mature in the future.
For U21 Song Lam Nghe An, this will undoubtedly be a forgettable season. The main reason lies in the squad's personnel issues.
Following the policy of the Song Lam Nghe An Club leadership to always create opportunities for players to participate in national teams, young talents such as Quang Vinh, Long Vu, Phung Van Nam, Nguyen Van Binh, Bao Ngoc... are all focusing on the Vietnam U19 team and cannot serve the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team.
Furthermore, the U21 team from Nghe An has many players from the first team. These players have to compete in the V.League until the end of the season. Therefore, the U21 Song Lam Nghe An team has very little time to train.
It wasn't until close to the match day that U21 Song Lam Nghe An had a full squad available to play. These difficulties meant that U21 Song Lam Nghe An didn't play as cohesively and effectively as they had hoped.
Adding to their misfortune, the team from Nghe An had to face the defending champions in their first match. With a makeshift squad, U21 Song Lam Nghe An suffered a heavy defeat against U21 PVF. This loss put U21 Song Lam Nghe An in a difficult position in the race for a place in the finals. In subsequent matches, although U21 Song Lam Nghe An defeated U21 Hue, U21 Quang Ngai, and drew with U21 Thanh Hoa, they were still unable to qualify for the finals.
It's fair to say that the U21 Song Lam Nghe An team has been disappointing this season. However, looking further ahead, fans in Nghe An can find some consolation in the increasing number of Song Lam Nghe An players being selected for national youth teams. This is a positive sign for Nghe An football in the future.
