Ackerson's appearances have been very limited this season, and Xie Weijun is slightly less capable in all areas, so it makes sense that the two failed to make the cut. The analysis of Wei Shihao and Gao Tianyi is basically convincing. Wang Zhen'ao was absent due to injury, and Fang Hao's performance can be linked to aspects such as "team awareness". Then, what is the reason why Li Shuai was not selected?
In the "Yi phase" of training, Li Shuai withdrew from the team due to injury, the news has triggered widespread discussion, and even a well-known media source suggested that he may be "fraudulent injury". Therefore, on July 6, 2023, a well-known media person surnamed Zhao made a very detailed explanation.
Li Shuai's daily training in the harbor is mainly based on recovery, the training volume can not be too large, otherwise the next day, "the ankle will be swollen", he will master the intensity of training. In the game, he mainly rely on painkillers and closed treatment to adhere to. However, the intensity of training in the national team is different and must be increased. At the same time, due to the presence of quality players like Liu Yang in the left back position, "If the training performance does not guarantee a match, on what basis can you become a starter?" Therefore, Ivan's coaching staff decided to let Li Shuai return to the club after a study.
After returning to the club, Li Shuai still maintains the previous training rhythm, mainly focusing on recovery, while the intensity of training is under his control. When it comes to the game, he will choose to take painkillers or closed treatment. Zhao famously concluded, "This is the real situation that we have seen Li Shuai return to the club to play after he retired from the national team after the injury."
Whether this is the "truth" or not, and whether or not it represents the full extent of Li Shuai's training and competition at the club, we do not want to discuss, nor do we want to speculate. Let's take a look at some data:
July 6 was the 18th round of the Chinese Super League. No further references will be made before this round, the following statistics will start from this round (in chronological order of matches):
In the 18th round, Harbour beat Henan 1-0 (I personally think Harbour didn't go all out in this game for reasons that go without saying). Li Shuai made his debut and was replaced by Zhang Linpeng after playing 60 minutes. In the 19th round, Seaport beat Guoan 5-1, Li Shuai continued to start and was replaced by Bao Shimeng in the 77th minute (the score was 5-1 at that time). In the 24th round match against Qingdao Hainiu, Li Shuai replaced debutant Stanley Wong in the 46th minute. In round 20, Seaport beat Nantong Zhiyun 8-1, Li Shuai started and played the full 90 minutes; he also started and played the full match against Taishan in round 21. In round 22, Seaport beat Meizhou Hakka 7-2, Li Shuai started and played 70 minutes before being replaced by Fu Huan (the score was 7-1). In the 23rd round, Harbour lost 1-3 to Shenhua, Li Shuai started and was replaced by Feng Jin in the 87th minute.
That is to say, in seven matches, Li Shuai has almost always been the absolute mainstay of the harbor's left back. During this period, he has performed very well, for example, in the 18th round match, a long pass from the center circle almost assisted Wu Lei to score an anti-offside one-two; and also in the match against Taishan, in the first half injury time, he almost assisted Chitardini to break the goal after a wonderful cooperation with Oscar and Chitardini. In addition, in the two big wins against Guoan and Meizhou Hakka, Li Shuai was replaced early mainly because the seaport had already locked up the win.
Li Shuai's ability to hold senior players such as Wang Shenchao, Lu Wenjun and Fu Huan firmly on the bench shows his importance and influence in Muscat's mind, as well as highlighting his ability.
As of the 2024 season, 29-year-old Li Shuai has made 23 league appearances, including 21 starts, contributing one assist and accumulating five yellow cards. Among the national team players in the same position as him, Liu Yang (29) has made 24 appearances, starting 21 times, scoring one goal and one assist, and earning three yellow cards; Li Lei (32) has made 21 appearances, starting 20 times, with four assists, and earning five yellow cards; and Yang Zexiang (29) has made 24 appearances, starting 19 times, scoring one goal and no assists, and accumulating six yellow cards.
On the surface, these four current domestic best left backs (not counting Jiang Zhipeng) have played roughly the same amount in the league. With the exception of Li Lei, the performance of the remaining three in the attacking end is also not too different, and even the number of yellow cards is about the same. However, in reality, Li Shuai has the best physical qualities of the four, is the fastest, and is relatively better at breaking through and defending.
The main reason for the low number of goals and assists I think has to do with the team's tactical style. That is to say, Harbour's offense is mainly focused on the midfield, relying on Wu Lei and the five foreigners, while the backline only needs to focus on defense.
Theoretically, why wasn't such a Li Shuai selected for the national team's training roster?
If it's only because he's in control of his own training and games, it seems hard to explain. Judging from his performance in the league, he doesn't even meet the national team's criteria of "team spirit" or "mobility", not to mention the situation of Wei Shihao, Ekerson or Wang Zhenao. Therefore, according to Xiao's well-known analysis, there may be "psychological problems". As for the latter part of the sentence, I will not analyze it in depth here.
Everyone agrees that the greatest honor a player can have is to play for his country and compete for his country. It would be surprising if even this is not understood.
