In the fierce competition of the 20th round of the Chinese Super League, Shandong Taishan unfortunately lost 0-1 to Henan on the road, and this loss not only made the team's hope of competing for the title in the league become slim, but also further aggravated the team's difficulty in obtaining the qualification for the AFC Champions League through the league. The review of "New Yellow River" pinpointed the current difficulties faced by Taishan, and the team's performance in the match is even more thought-provoking.
Although Taishan created the highest single-game possession record of the season in this game, as high as 73%, and completed nearly 600 passes and 20 shots on goal, but such a disparity in the possession ratio did not translate into goals, but instead the opponent took advantage of the set-piece defense in the leakage of the error scored the only goal of the game. This result is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Taishan's offensive efficiency, and also exposed the team's powerlessness in the face of dense defense.
The poor form of the two foreigners, Kressan and Kazayishvili, added to the woes of Taishan's offense. Cressan once again fell into the predicament of solo play, while Kazayishvili also failed to play the level. Such performance not only disappointed the fans, but also made the team in the offensive end of the loss of the old sharp and diversity.
After the loss, Shandong Taishan Club officially issued an article saying that they will summarize the situation and make every effort to play well in the following games. However, for Taishan, the next challenge is still strong: on August 3, the team will host the leader Shanghai Seaport, which is a tough battle and a severe test of the team's morale and strength.
To make matters worse, Taishan will also face the pressure of multiple fronts in the coming August. League matches, AFC Champions League qualifying matches and AFC Cup matches will come one after the other, which will add to the already difficult situation of the team. In the absence of head coach Choi Kang-hee, assistant coach Kim Hyun-min will need to carefully consider how to line up his men between fixtures in order to cope with the upcoming intensive schedule.
For Taishan team, the most important thing now is to adjust the mentality and find the confidence and status in the game. At the same time, the team also needs to strengthen internal communication and collaboration, improve offensive efficiency and defensive stability. Only in this way can Taishan rise to the challenge in the next game and bring more exciting games to the fans.
