Shanghai Harbour missed out on the AFC Champions League in shame after a 2-3 home defeat against Thailand's Pathum United, and the Pudong soccer stadium erupted in high-decibel discontent - "Shame on you!" "Javier is out!" There is no doubt that the ever self-assured Harbour head coach is suffering from the worst crisis of confidence.
It's not just the fans who are unhappy with Javier. After a 3-4 home defeat against Zhejiang in the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League, a club source made it clear to reporters after the game that "our paper strength is stronger than Zhejiang's, and today's loss was not as good as the head coach's ability to play on the opposite side of the field." This is not the first time the club has heard similar sounds. Soon after Javier became the head coach of the seaport, the team complained that the former head coach of Henan "general ability, but a bit of a temper". The first time outsiders got a taste of Javier's temper was in the first battle against Qingdao Hainiao in the sixth round of the Chinese Super League, when he and foreign aid Vargas were almost stuck off the field because of a difference in changing passengers.
Hong Kong currently lead the Chinese Super League by a massive 12 points and have a good chance of winning the title, but there needs to be a big question mark over what role Javier has played in that. For a team with great foreigners such as Oscar and Vargas, as well as many Chinese internationals, Javier has not made the whole team stronger after more than half a season in charge. Seaport has won only 1 draw and 2 losses in their last three matches, and their starters are tired. Although the team is equipped with a full complement of foreigners and has bench depth in the upper echelons of the Chinese Super League, the stubborn Javier refuses to rotate his lineup, leading to physical exhaustion and breaks in form for his starters.
After dropping out of the AFC Champions League qualifying rounds, the ever self-assured Harbour suddenly showed great sincerity when he faced the media, clearly understanding how bad his current situation is. For the Harbour, they must decide immediately whether to change their coach. Although Javier led his team to lead the Chinese Super League for a long time, the loss in the AFC Champions League qualification is a scar that cannot be hidden. It's the manager's responsibility that the already strong team hasn't shown substantial improvement for half a season. If we are concerned about the future, Harbour should replace Javier.
