U21 SLNA was eliminated early: What's surprising?
(Baonghean.vn) - Unable to defeat U21 HAGL in the final match, coach Nguyen Van Tien and his team had to leave the tournament right in the group stage. This result left Nghe An fans extremely disappointed.
However, for experts, this failure is not too surprising. Objectively speaking, the force participating in the 2018 National U21 Finals is the weakest of U21 SLNA ever.
Before leaving for the tournament, head coach Nguyen Van Tien admitted: “Objectively speaking, this year’s U21 SLNA squad is not as good as previous years. They are all very young, born in 2000 and 2001, and have not had much experience in professional playgrounds.”
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| U21 SLNA only consists of inexperienced players. Photo: Archive |
Coach Nguyen Van Tien's worries have come true. In the U21 SLNA roster, there are no players who have been promoted from the first team like in previous tournaments. The lack of players trained from the V.League and National Cup has significantly affected the strength of U21 SLNA, at least in terms of experience. Meanwhile, the U21 National tournament is always very fierce. This is where the most talented players of Vietnamese football gather, where teams with serious investment and great ambition compete.
Observing the last 3 matches of U21 SLNA, experience is what Pham Duc Thong and his teammates lack the most. Although coach Nguyen Van Tien still has many talented players such as Thai Ba Sang, Mai Sy Hoang, Chu Van Kien..., U21 SLNA did not show their inherent "experience". The loss to U21 Viettel (0-1) and the draw to U21 HAGL (1-1) are clear proof. If coach Nguyen Van Tien's students were sharper and colder, the match result would have gone in a different direction.
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| U21 HAGL (white) and U21 Viettel (red) are two very strong opponents. Photo: Internet |
In addition to the subjective reasons (weak force, lack of experience), there is also an objective reason - that is, U21 SLNA fell into the "death group". Having to be in the same group with U21 HAGL (reigning champion), U21 Viettel (reigning runner-up) and U21 Long An makes the chance of winning a ticket to the semi-finals for coach Nguyen Van Tien and his team quite small. It goes without saying how strong U21 HAGL and U21 Viettel are. Therefore, U21 SLNA being eliminated is completely normal.
After all, youth tournaments are just a playground to hone talent and gain experience for young players to mature more quickly in their careers. Achievements are also important, but not everything. Hopefully, through this tournament, Coach Nguyen Van Tien and his team will gain valuable lessons before participating in higher, more fierce arenas such as the National Cup, V.League or international tournaments in the near future./.
