Round 18 V-League 2016: Now or never?

(Baonghean.vn) -According to the schedule, SLNA will meet 2 opponents related to the play-off ticket, HAGL and Long An, before welcoming the 'difficult neighbor' FLC Thanh Hoa. Obviously, the round 18 match at Vinh Stadium with HAGL is like a "warm-up" for the important match with Long An of Coach Ngo Quang Sang.

Vinh Stadium empty of spectators?

Not until round 18, but in the match against S.Khanh Hoa in round 16, there were only over 1,000 "responsible" spectators coming to Vinh stadium to cheer for the match. Poor performance is the main reason for the decrease in excitement of Nghe An spectators.

Vinh Stadium will be empty of spectators?

If the number of people at the beginning of the season is always over 10,000, even the match with Hai Phong had 13,000 spectators, then it is clear that SLNA is gradually losing, gradually losing the loyal fan base right at home. We have to see the scene of Mr. Hien struggling for 3-4 years, spending a lot of money, even inviting artist Chi Trung to participate but still only able to attract no more than 2,000 spectators per match to Hang Day Stadium to watch HN.T&T play.

SLNA has an “open gold mine” which is the affection of Nghe An audiences nationwide for the team. If the team leaders do not encourage the players to compete soon, the number of spectators coming to the stadium will certainly decrease, then the “cake” that the sponsors give to the club will be gradually whittled away. Certainly, the match against HAGL will be empty of spectators, but that does not mean that the team will lack motivation to compete, because losing one more match is not the end, but the season is considered over for Vinh audiences.

Although absent, the Nghe An players still had to grit their teeth and play, that's why.

Overcome yourself

According to calculations, there are 9 rounds left and SLNA needs 7 more points to escape the danger zone. More than anyone else, SLNA's coaching staff and players will know how to do that and with their strength, they understand that this is not an impossible task. The top 5 finish has slipped out of reach, so what will SLNA players, including foreign players, use as motivation to compete?

This is really a very difficult problem for an inexperienced coach like Quang Truong. SLNA is currently not in a position to adjust the championship race, nor is it the "rich guy" that bestows affection on the bottom teams. To some extent, SLNA, HAGL, and Long An are together "running for their lives" for the play-off position. But as analyzed above, SLNA is in a more favorable and "easier" position.

In the 3 matches against HAGL, Long An and FLC Thanh Hoa, everyone can see that the highlight will be the match against Long An. But that does not mean taking lightly the match against "brother" HAGL and certainly having to "fight to the death" with neighbor FLC Thanh Hoa to confirm the draw on the winning position in round 9, the main fault lies with referee Ha Anh Chien.

SLNA only has 2 goals left, playing fair to train soldiers and generals and to show gratitude to the audience.

Battle at the bottom of the rankings

SLNA's opponent in this round is the team Pho Nui, whose form is also up and down, they lost 10, drew 3 and won 4, their defense conceded 2 goals on average per match. Pho Nui is the youngest team in V-League, the most promising player is the Japanese midfielder Ideguchi, Van Toan is also a famous name every time he plays for the national team but is unlucky when he returns to HAGL. Losing Osmar due to injury, they were forced to add Junior Paraiba, a 28-year-old Brazilian striker.

Having won the Brazilian National Championship in 2007 for Atletico Mineiro as a substitute, he has a good technical foundation, suitable for HAGL's short-distance, small-group style of play. However, without experience playing in the V-League, Coach Quoc Tuan mainly uses him as a wall for Van Toan and Hong Duy.

HAGL's defenders with names like Van Thang, Dong Trieu, Tran Vu, Van Long are not good at pressing or fighting in the air, only Dinh Thanh Trung (QNK.Quang Nam) has torn apart the defense of Pho Nui. HAGL's two central defenders generally do not cover each other well, easily running out of breath when racing. Right wing Van Long often goes up to attack but his defense is not good.

Most likely, young players with speed like Xuan Thang and Tuan Tai will be brought in early to break the opponent's strength. In our opinion, Phi Son should be given priority to play freely, moving inside to organize the match.

SLNA has a bit of a problem as Dinh Hoang is likely to be unable to play due to a recurring injury, Minh Duc can only come in from the bench but the home team still has young players Tuan Tai, Xuan Thang... eager to show off. Maybe, now the home team temporarily loses the advantage of the audience but the hot weather is a huge advantage for SLNA.

Even if SLNA wins, they still cannot improve their position on the rankings, but if the Nghe team cannot beat HAGL at Vinh Stadium, who knows who else they can beat? Winning to gradually regain the trust of Nghe fans, it is now or never.

An Thanh