SLNA's current problem is their competitive mentality.

SLNA's 13 rounds were divided into 2 bright and dark sections, the first 5 rounds ended with a surprising victory over the defending champion Hanoi at Hang Day Stadium with a score of 1-0. The next 5 matches were a real nightmare for the yellow team, when they lost to TP.HCM (1-3), Nam Dinh (3-0), Quang Nam (2-1), Viettel (1-2), Quang Ninh (0-2), with the only lucky draw at home at Hong Linh Ha Tinh (1-1). Except for TP.HCM and Than Quang Ninh, who were rated higher than SLNA, the remaining teams were all in the risk group, but the Nghe An team still came away empty-handed.

Don't lose the game

Foreign player Peter Samuel still lacks the necessary sensitivity in his shots and decisive passes. Photo: VPF

From a professional perspective, SLNA was not too overwhelmed by the opponent in terms of the game. According to statistics, the time of possession of the Nghe team from round 6 to 11 was 49%, 49%, 47%, 52%, 49%, 42% respectively. Except for the match at Cam Pha Stadium, coach Phan Thanh Hung requested the home players to hold the ball, disrupting SLNA's playing style, causing the Nghe team to only hold the ball 42%. With a higher level of technique, Than Quang Ninh players had a superior possession rate, in the remaining matches, SLNA held the ball approximately equal to the opponent.

Even in the match against rookie Hong Linh Ha Tinh, the Vinh home team held the ball 52%, much higher than their opponents, and had twice as many shots (16 compared to 8) but in the end they still conceded first. It must be admitted that the quality of the final passes of SLNA players is among the worst in V.League 2020 (only better than Hai Phong).

Nghe An players are not good at organizing wall passes, attacking in the middle, so they have to use a lot of high crosses. The wingers' crosses lack accuracy, and the foreign players are not good at aerial combat, so the opponents can easily defend. They rarely make the final pass, Nghe An players have more than one way to approach the opponent's goal, so the opponent's defenders can easily intercept.

Lacking experience in battle, and being stuck in the mentality of wanting to score for themselves, there were many situations where the young SLNA players missed out on good opportunities. Typically, in the recent match against Than Quang Ninh, in the 26th minute, from a pass from Felipe Martins, young midfielder Dang Van Lam, while being blocked by 2 Quang Ninh defenders, instead of passing to Ho Tuan Tai, who was in a more favorable position, he shot wide of the post.

Psychological stress

Ho Tuan Tai also missed many good opportunities. Photo: VPF

Ho Tuan Tai himself, the player leading the scoring list of SLNA up to this point, but his scoring efficiency is also quite low. There are many situations facing the opponent's goalkeeper but Tuan Tai unfortunately missed the opportunity. Tuan Tai's scoring efficiency is also a common "disease" of SLNA players, causing them to only have 7 goals after 13 rounds. The more thirsty for goals, the more tense they are when on the field and cannot finish the delicious situations in front of the opponent's goal as desired.

If Peter Samuel still lacks the necessary sensitivity in his shots and decisive passes, so he is unlucky in front of the goal, then rookie Felipe Martins shows that he still needs more time to integrate. On Cam Pha field, in an unmarked situation, Felipe Martins still headed the ball quite far from Mai Sy Hoang's pass. Before that, this Brazilian player did not do well in defending the ball in the air when participating in a corner kick situation, allowing Lastro Neven to press and head the ball to score.

Obviously, both the crosser and the goal scorer of SLNA at this time are in a bad mental state, causing them to lose and draw when facing the bottom teams. In addition to professional work, SLNA players still need the presence of a psychological expert to help the young players achieve the best state during this difficult period.