Source: Football Gazette
On the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, Shanghai Harbor, which has been renamed Harbor, regrouped at Century Park to begin preparations for the new season. According to the plan, Seaport's second phase of winter training continued in Shanghai. Due to the cancellation of the qualification of Taishan's AFC Champions League, the seaport got the opportunity to fight for the AFC Champions League, except that they have to start from the play-offs, which will be held on April 14th.
Previously, Seaport had planned to go to Haikou for winter training, but considering the epidemic and other factors, Seaport temporarily abandoned the plan. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the whole team assembled at the Century Park's first-team training base. During the first phase of winter training, due to the national team's training, the two international players, Stanley Wang and Yan Junling, were unable to participate in the training, and this time they returned together, but Yan Junling is still wearing a "mask", and according to his own previously disclosed timetable, he can't be taken off the mask until almost the end of February.
Of the players preparing for the new season, all are now in place except for Croatian foreign center back Mystorovic, and head coach Leko can finally rehearse formations and tactical play, and he hopes that the team will complete its bonding as soon as possible.
Compared to other teams still looking for foreign aid, the seaport has done a more solid job in this regard, and all five of the team's foreign aiders have now returned to the country. Core Oscar has been staying in China since the end of last season and has not returned to Brazil; Austrian winger Arnautovic arrived in Shanghai with Leko and was released from quarantine on the 28th of last month; Brazilian foreign aid Lopez and Australian foreign aid Muyi returned to the team to participate in the joint training before the Spring Festival; as for the so-called best center back in Croatian A, Mai Storovic, he will be released from quarantine this week to join the team, and he will be the core of the rear defense after the departure of Shi Ke. After Shi Ke left the team, he will be the core of the defense.
In addition, the two coaching staff members who arrived in Shanghai on the 2nd Rokic and Bettes, has ended the 14-day epidemic isolation, they have been to the team to participate in the work, Lecco led the seaport brand-new coaching staff is considered to be all together, each in their own way, Lecco only need to put their own plans and arrangements commanded to go down.
The first test of the new season for Lecco and Seaport will be the AFC Champions League playoffs.
In last season's Chinese Super League, Harbour only won the fourth; in the FA Cup, they fell in the 2nd round, which is the 1/8 final, they lost 0-4 to Yatai; in the AFC Champions League, they also folded up in the 1/8 final, they lost 0-2 to Kobe Victory ship. So, according to the results, the team lost the qualification for the new season's AFC Champions League. For Seaport, this has both advantages and disadvantages. Unable to participate in the AFC Champions League, the team lost the opportunity to show themselves at the highest level in Asia, but the team can focus all their attention on the domestic game and achieve good results.
However, after Taishan were disqualified from the AFC Champions League for violating the AFC's club licensing regulations, Seaport were given the opportunity to enter the group on a bye basis. They will "replace" Guoan in the play-offs, which will take place on April 14 according to the schedule, and will enter Group F with opponents including Thailand's Pathum United, Vietnam's Telecom, and South Korea's Ulsan, if they beat the winner of the match between the fourth-placed Australian Premier League club, the Brisbane Lions, and the runner-up of the Philippine League, Kaya. If they beat the winner of the Australian Premier League's fourth-ranked Brisbane Lions and Philippine League runner-up Kaya, they will enter Group F, which includes Thailand's Pathum United, Vietnam's Telegraph and South Korea's Ulsan.
Although the group stage is still not determined, but the schedule has been released, taking into account the impact of national leagues and national team match days and other factors, the intensity of the group stage of the AFC Champions League is very large, the participating teams will be in the second half of April to the first half of May in 16 days to play 6 group stage matches, equal to every 3 days to play 1 game. If the harbor to advance to the group stage, facing the test is not small.
Of course, the test is more than that, if the AFC Champions League and the Chinese Super League schedule collision, then, the seaport will face trade-offs, last season, the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League collision, and ultimately, in the Association's "call", the team chose to let the young people to play in the FA Cup, the main force to play the AFC Champions League, but if it is the league collision, it may be necessary to think about it.
