In the fierce battle of the first five rounds of the Chinese Super League, the Harbor team stood with a proud record of 3 wins and 2 draws, showing amazing strength. In their home matches, they beat their enemies consecutively with a score of 3-1. Compared with last season, the team's overall offensive strength is on a higher level.
It's worth mentioning that Seaport's attacking end is on fire, with Oscar in hot form since his return from injury. He scored two goals in the 3-0 win over Nantong Zhiyun in the final round, showing the peak of his individual ability. Wu Lei was on fire, scoring 5 goals and managed to get on the top of the scorer list, becoming the team's big killer on the offensive end, unstoppable.
On the defensive end of the field, the Seaports have also excelled. With a current average of only 0.8 goals conceded per game, the defense has been amazingly stable. Their defensive tactics and the tacit understanding between players make it hard for opponents to find a chance to break through and intimidate them.
In the five rounds of confrontation at the beginning of the season, Taishan only achieved two wins, two draws and one loss, accumulating eight points, and the point gap with leader Shenhua has widened to seven points, which undoubtedly brings many obstacles to their road to the championship.
Now, Taishan team is still stuck in the quagmire of injuries, Zheng Zheng, Wang Dalei, Kressan and Jadason are all injured. Although Li Yuanyi, Liu Binbin and Shi Ke have trained with the team, it is still difficult for Taishan to collect the strongest lineup.
Worse still, the Taishan team has been frequently caught in the whirlpool of rumors lately, with a succession of turmoil over stock reform, bonus disputes, tax reimbursements, and player strikes, which undoubtedly brought heavy psychological pressure to the team.
In the final round against Henan, Taishan outnumbered their opponents by one, but it was a difficult balance of 2.:2. The performance of the whole team seemed to be a mess, all the players were like a deflated ball without anger and fighting spirit. Facing this scene, coach Choi Kang-hee couldn't help but show helplessness and anxiety many times.
In the past, Yokohama Mariners coach Muscat was the nemesis of the AFC Champions League. He meets in the Chinese Super League, and Taishan's prospects in this match are even less optimistic.
This battle is about whether or not Tarzan is behind in the watershed battle to win the title this season. If they fail again, they could be out early. However, with such low morale, Taishan looked like a defeated army. Facing a majestic Hong Kong side, Choi Kang-hee's men could be lucky on the beach in this battle.
