Shanghai Seaport in the 2023 season can really be said to be unbeatable in the Chinese Super League. after 22 rounds, Shanghai Shenhua was riding high with 11 points ahead of the second place in the table. However, in the 22nd round of the match, the Zhejiang team lost in a 3-4 reversal. As a matter of fact, another reason why Shanghai Seaport lost was that Zhejiang was happy. It was really a treasure for Shanghai Seaport to invite Javier!
Shanghai Seaport has a complete lineup for the new season, and the team has been very stable since the head coach of Henan Songshan Longmen, Javier, was tapped. With Os in the midfield and Wu Lei in the front, it is comparable to foreign aid. The Chinese Super League can really be described as a four-way kill. Before the 22nd round, Shanghai Seaport was already 14 points ahead of the second-place team, and the championship could be said to be in the bag.
In the 22nd round, Shanghai Seaport's opponent is Zhejiang, a team that wants to attack next year's AFC Champions League. Although Zhejiang is a strong team, it is unlikely to threaten Shanghai Seaport. Shanghai Seaport took a 2-1 lead in the first half, and then scored a goal shortly after the second half. 3-1 lead was a lock for Shanghai Seaport to win. Unexpectedly, Frank's goal 2 minutes later gave Zhejiang hope for an equalizer. In the 64th minute, Frank scored twice, which gave Zhejiang the hope of winning and getting closer to the Asian Championship. In extra time, Zhejiang beat Erlangk without a penalty, but scored again shortly after the second half started.
With three points from a win, Zhejiang are fifth in the table with 35 points, only three points away from Shandong Taishan for the AFC Champions League play-offs, and that's a happy thing. Of course, Zhejiang is happy to win a victory, and Shanghai Seaport also won, but don't be too happy. Shanghai Seaport's loss could be another reason.
Shanghai Seaport has been badly rated in the Chinese Super League. There are a lot of voices in the new season saying that Shanghai Seaport has been relying on referees to win games. Look at Shanghai Seaport's 14-point lead over second place in the table. It doesn't matter if the champions lose a game if they are no longer behind. So why Shanghai Seaport was reversed by Zhejiang after leading 3-1?
In that game, I don't know if you noticed that Shanghai Harbour's back line was very fragile. In addition, manager Javier made some changes to the lineup and many were not in familiar positions. So why did Javier do that? There is only one reason, just like the Zhejiang team, for the AFC Championship. Shanghai Harbour will certainly have no problem participating in the AFC Championship next year. They will prepare for the upcoming AFC Championship this season.
Javier is trying out his lineup for the AFC Champions League in this match, hoping to help Shanghai Harbour go far in the AFC Champions League and achieve better results than his previous coaches. For this goal, try the lineup for the Chinese Super League and lose a game or two. Why not? Javier is now thinking not about how many early wins he can get in the Chinese Super League, but about getting something out of both the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League. I have to say, he really is an excellent coach.
