Central football is increasingly in crisis and fading.

Crisis at SLNA

The name SLNA has been mentioned a lot in recent days, not because of its success on the field, but because of the "scandal" with former striker Le Cong Vinh.

On the afternoon of November 11, the Nghe An team announced that they would part ways with coach Pham Anh Tuan, appointing Phan Nhu Thuat as head coach and Cong Vinh as assistant. However, on the evening of the same day, Cong Vinh announced that he would decline the invitation after careful consideration.

SLNA (yellow shirt) crisis

The failed deal with Cong Vinh further added to the sadness of Nghe An football fans. Seven years after the last championship (National Cup 2017), SLNA is just a shadow of the past. After seven rounds, SLNA has yet to taste victory, with only four points and is at the bottom of the table.

The familiar scenario has been repeated over and over again with SLNA over the past few seasons: either playing well in the early stages of the season, accumulating enough points to stay in the league, then going downhill in the final stages; or struggling at the bottom of the table, having to race for survival until the final rounds.

SLNA is the cradle of many talented players, but lacks both money and ambition to retain talent. The Vinh Stadium team always falls into a situation of "eating and drinking" every season: frugal spending, poor facilities. In the 2020 season, when the pandemic hit, a former SLNA leader confided that he could not bear to reduce player salaries, because SLNA's income was already very low.

The best players often choose to leave when they are ripe, from Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Trong Hoang, Nguyen Van Hoang, Pham Xuan Manh to Phan Van Duc. Although they love their homeland, "bread and butter" still comes first.

Vinh Stadium is getting "colder" as the audience is no longer interested in cheering.

The captaincy given to young goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet last season was a "bitter" breakthrough for SLNA. Van Viet has potential, but giving the captaincy role, even for just a few matches, to a 22-year-old player who had just entered the V-League is proof of the talent drought of the Nghe An team.

When the new sponsor appeared, SLNA had money, but still lacked both ambition and vision. The appointment of coaches is an example. Last season, coach Nhu Thuat left the "hot seat" at the end to make way for coach Anh Tuan. This season, Mr. Tuan left again and coach Nhu Thuat... returned. A vicious cycle of people, among coaches who are almost unknown in the V-League and have not left any mark.

Looking at the success of Thanh Hoa Club with Coach Velizar Popov, we can see that no matter how good the players are, they still need a good teacher. If we shape the playing philosophy, have a talented coach and build a reasonable human resource base, even a team with modest potential can make a difference. We cannot just blame it on poverty.

However, SLNA does not have these factors. The Vinh team seems to be resigned to losing talent and competing for relegation. For the Nghe An team, whether Cong Vinh returns or not, it is probably the same. SLNA must make a great effort to stay in the V-League next season.

Da Nang Club: When will the old days come back?

Another representative from the Central region is also struggling, that is Da Nang Club. After winning the promotion ticket, the team at Hoa Xuan Stadium set a goal of finishing in the top 5 this season. However, it only took 7 matches (4 draws, 3 losses) for coach Dao Quang Hung and his team to realize that this was an "illusion".

The former champion is just a name. Da Nang Club is now bland, weak and has no identity.

Da Nang Club (white shirt) struggles to earn every point

Previously, the Han River football team was famous for its foreign players such as Merlo, Rogerio, Almeida, and famous domestic players at the national team level such as Minh Phuong, Phuoc Vinh, Hai Lam, Quoc Anh, Van Hanh, Vu Phong... Da Nang people still remember the glorious days, when Chi Lang stadium became a fiery furnace, witnessing the orange team win the V-League 2009, 2012, advance to the AFC Cup and reap victory.

But the glorious years are gone. Da Nang Club "struggling" in the final stage of coach Le Huynh Duc's tenure, only to be relegated in 2023. Returning from the first division, the Han River team is still struggling with poor foreign players and average domestic players.

The common point between Da Nang and SLNA, or another representative of the Central region like Quang Nam, is not just... money. Lack of development orientation, outdated football thinking, and declining training quality are the obstacles that cause football in the Central region to go backwards.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/slna-clb-da-nang-cung-chim-bong-da-mien-trung-ngay-cang-khung-hoang-nhat-sac-185241113125212675.htm