In the second phase of the Chinese Super League, two teams with the strongest momentum are Shanghai Harbor and Shandong Taishan, who are currently in the top two of the league table.
Recently, the Harbour Team has won five consecutive Super League matches, leading the league table all the way. From the looks of things, barring a major incident, it seems like there is only one time left for Harbour to regain the Super League title.
Taishan has been playing quite well lately, but lost to Zhejiang on the road. Back at home, Shandong Taishan are completely unstoppable. They recently won three consecutive home games, 3-0 at Shenhua, 3-0 at Guoan, and 6-1 at Meizhou Hakka, a huge victory in each game. Next up, Taishan will remain in Jinan, hosting Chengdu Rongcheng, Cangzhou Lions and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers.
Although Chengdu Rongcheng is currently third in the league table, their recent form is quite bad, suffering two consecutive losses in the league. In addition, the suspension of foreign striker Felipe has not only harmed the team's attacking power, but also affected coach Xu Zhengyuan's high-flying tactical system.
The first world war with Chengdu Hibiscus will be a direct conversation between two Korean coaches, Choi Kang-hee and Seo Jung-won. Compared to Seo Jung-won, Choi Kang-hee has more seniority and more experience in the Chinese Super League. Taishan's morale is high, so it should not be a big problem for them to take down Chengdu Rongcheng at home.
Cangzhou Lions are simply no match for Tarzan. Taishan must get 3 points in this game. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, the third opponent, is the toughest bone to chew. But I believe Choi Kang-hee will find a good strategy to lead Taishan to defeat Jinmen Tigers at home.
As a result, Taishan will have 18 points from 6 home games. Not only can they further consolidate the second place in the league, but they can also chase Shanghai Harbor all the way. Even if they can't win the title against the odds, it will still put a lot of pressure on the former.
Taishan's recent form is so good, and the club has a lot to do with the change of shareholders. According to some informed sources, the Culture and Tourism Group has basically withdrawn from the club, and now the real helmsman of Shandong Taishan has become Shandong Energy Group. It is because of the new owners to join, Taishan can be in such a short period of time to return to the right track.
For Taishan now, it is impossible to compete for the title in the Chinese Super League. Next, they will try to achieve excellent results in the AFC Champions League. Choi Kang-hee has won the AFC Championship when he was coaching Jeonbuk Hyundai, and he has a lot of experience in leading the team to the AFC Championship.
As a result, Choi already has Cressan and Fellaini at Taishan and brought in Brazilian senior center forward Pato in the Chinese Super League summer transfer window. His aim is to increase the high points of the team's front line, allowing them to rotate in the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League, and allowing their high-flying tactical style to be fully implemented.
Taishan has the task of the AFC Cup in addition to the Chinese Super League and the Asian Championship. Taishan, as the defending champion, will never give up easily. In the quarter-final knockout match, they will challenge Beijing Guoan on the road. Guoan is not performing well this season. Although they have a new coach, Suarez, their performance hasn't improved much.
In the last round of the league, Guoan just lost 0-3 to Shandong Taishan. After the match, the captain Wang Gang even said that he was "ashamed" of the team's performance. So, although it was an away game, Taishan's victory was still a big one. After passing the level of Guoan, Taishan basically has no rivals next, and the defense of the AFC Cup title is just around the corner...
