V.League 2019: Is SLNA a worthy opponent of Hanoi Club?

After the first 6 rounds, SLNA has 13 points and is temporarily ranked 3rd. The gap with the 2 teams above, Hanoi Club and Ho Chi Minh City Club, is 1 point and 3 points respectively. What coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team have achieved up to this point has truly reflected the strength and ambition of the Nghe An team.

Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem of Hanoi FC commented: "I rate SLNA highly in the race for the V.League championship this season, not Ho Chi Minh City FC."

It is true that SLNA was just defeated by Hanoi FC with a score of 0-4 in the match of round 5, which took place more than 2 weeks ago. However, that does not mean that Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's ​​assessment of SLNA is just a normal courtesy. Simply, the Nghe An team possesses important factors, capable of competing equally with Hanoi FC in the race for the 2019 V.League championship.

The duo Phan Van Duc - Pham Xuan Manh is about to return. Photo: Quang Minh

In the V.League at the moment, apart from Hanoi FC, no team has better quality players than SLNA. National players, former national players and former U23 national players are spread across all lines and positions. Roughly counted are Tran Nguyen Manh, Hoang Van Khanh, Tran Dinh Dong, Tran Dinh Hoang, Hoang Van Binh, Ho Khac Ngoc, Phan Van Duc, Ho Tuan Tai, Pham Xuan Manh... Don't forget that in the recent past, SLNA has not had the services of Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh and Ho Tuan Tai due to injuries.

Along with the good domestic players are quite good foreign players. Except for striker Alves dos Santos who has not proven much, the other two players, Olaha and Memovic, have shown their class. It is not an exaggeration to say that Olaha and Memovic are among the best foreign players in V.League this year. The fact that the Nigerian striker has won the title of "best player of the match" three times is a typical proof.

Olaha's form is very high. Photo: Archive

Obviously, with a combination of quality, experienced domestic players and talented and professional foreign players, SLNA is an opponent that cannot be underestimated. Moreover, with a budget of up to 50 billion VND/season, the ambition of the Nghe An team does not stop at a position in the TOP, but instead, is the championship. Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's ​​high opinion of SLNA is completely justified./.