This evening, the city of Jinan will play a key battle in the quarter-final knockout round of the AFC Champions League. As a direct PK between Shandong Taishan, the only team in the Chinese Super League, and Yokohama Mariners, the only team in the J-League, it can be said that it is the focus of much attention. In my opinion, Cui Kangxi's character is a double-edged sword for Taishan, and two points determine the success or failure of this battle.
There is no denying that after Choi Kang-hee took over at the beginning of last season when Taishan was in a stormy situation, the team quickly got on the right track, not only finishing second in the league and cup, but also advancing to the quarter-finals in the AFC Champions League. Cui Kang-hei has really put his own brand of tactical philosophy on this Taishan team. Even among the Chinese Super League teams, there are very few teams that can go up against Taishan. In addition, Choi's calm and resilient image on the sidelines has given Taishan a qualitative leap in spirit compared to the past.
However, there are two sides to everything. The old Cui stubborn character and attacking style of play also let Taishan team in the case of a good record, the hidden dangers of the back line is very obvious. For example, Cui Kangxi very much advocate the high level of grabbing the ball playing style. This kind of tactics and rhythm, coupled with the thickness of the Taishan team's lineup, is not a big problem in the Chinese Super League. But in the AFC Champions League, we should look at it dialectically. In the Yokohama Mariners game, Lao Cui will not use the bus tactic. If nothing else, Taishan will still stick to the high sword grabbing style of play. Of course grabbing the opponent is not bad, but what if you can't grab the whole field in the face of fast and accurate passes against the opponent?
So, how to deal with this game? Actually, there are two points:One is the mentality, and the other is the rhythm. On the one hand, the mentality should be stabilized and the public opinion should be cooled down. Forget the sense of honor of being the only one in the Chinese Super League, and treat Yokohama Mariners as a stronger opponent than Kawasaki Frontale. On the other hand, it's necessary to grab the ball moderately high up the pitch and not make it too easy for the midfield. However, we also need to observe the position of our teammates and grab the ball in time when we have protection. We should not be adventurous. We should not only prevent being beaten by our opponents, but also minimize unnecessary fouls and turnovers in sensitive areas. Rhythmically, we should avoid our shortcomings and not have to tangle in the midfield. We can emphasize speed and exciting outlooks in a combination of edges and fringes.
The master's trick is to tend to contain and counteract. Luckily for the Yokohama Mariners, their coach is still grinding it out shortly after taking over, which is a benefit for the Taisans.
