Four teams - Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Harbor and Beijing Guoan - were touted as the strongest contenders for the league title at the start of the new Chinese Super League season.
There are two reasons for saying this:
1, compared with other teams, more investment, as can be seen from the strength of the signing. Wuhan three towns attracted Wei Shihao, Yan Dinghao, Yakubu and other outstanding players; Shandong Taishan a breath of introduction of seven or eight internal players, including Fernando, Tong Lei, Sun Guowen and other international players; Beijing Guoan gained internal reinforcements, the border will be Yang Liyu welcome to study abroad, Li Lei, the addition of Ademi and De Sousa. Shanghai seaport, although only changed the head coach, but last season's signing is the highest in the Chinese Super League!
2, the details are deep and the only goal is to win the title. All four of these teams have had the experience of winning the Chinese Super League. In fact, they are equal in strength, and everyone should know that most clubs are on the verge of a painful struggle. They mainly consider how to survive. As for results, they don't ask for too much for the time being. However, these four teams did not have such worries. They only consider how to win the Vulcan Cup.
But the league has just gone through two rounds, why does it give everyone the feeling that it has turned into a one-man show for Shanghai Harbor? What is the situation?
This feeling is not only reflected in the points, but the fighting spirit and process shown by the other three teams in the two rounds of matches, which really don't have the temperament of a championship-winning team. Or, compared to Shanghai Ports, these three teams seem to have not yet entered the league and remain lethargic.
What are the reasons for this situation? Or why is the Shanghai seaport such a proud achievement?
One, Three Towns, Tarzan and National have all had the same problem.
1. Injuries and illnesses
Yakubu, Wallace, and a couple of domestic starters from Wuhan Sanzhen; Jadason, Shandong Taishan, Kressan (suspended); and the country's top forward scorer Zhang Yuning, Beijing Guoan, among others.
It is evident that these players are the absolute mainstay of the team! Without them, the overall efficiency of the team's offensive end or defensive end will be greatly reduced, which will definitely affect the final result of the game.
2. Tactical integration
As we all know, these three teams have brought in a lot of new recruits before the start of the season, both domestic and foreign players.
They need a lot of live play to gel with the team, and there are very few plug-and-play newcomers.
For example, Yakubu of Wuhan Sanzhen joined in Malcolm. But while Yakubu and Malcolm are very capable, their technical characteristics are completely different. This means that Yakubu needs to play and gel with the entire offensive system, and both sides can maximize their power through constant adaptation. But now it's injured. Even if he comes back, he'll have to find fitness before he can gel tactically. In the meantime, I don't know how to waste a few games.
In Shandong Taishan, although the team has not changed in terms of foreign aid, it has brought in a lot of internal aid such as Sun Guowen, Fernando and Tong Lei. They all have the ability to occupy the main force, but they also need time and games to adapt. In addition, more importantly for Taishan, the current tactics have drawbacks. Cressan's absence has led to the team's inability to do anything, and the proud overhead kicks have completely lost their strength. When Hao Wei can solve this tactical bottleneck, it will directly affect the team's future results.
Beijing Guoan has brought in a lot of internal and external reinforcements, all of which are very useful. However, the absence of last season's striker Zhang Yuning has caused many problems for the offensive line. Several foreigners such as Ademi and De Souza have shown their abilities, but it will take time to integrate with the team.
So, for all three teams, tactical barriers and injury attacks have become obstacles to progress.
Secondly, the Shanghai seaport is riding high on strength.
In fact, last season, Shanghai Seaport should have played like this, it is because of the internal problems, which led to the strong and powerful Shanghai Seaport to say goodbye to the championship in advance.
This season, the team has solved two main problems:First, Oscar, the brains of the team, is back, instead replacing controversial head coach Leko (Xi Zhikang was only a temporary transition) and welcoming Henan head coach Javier, who is very familiar with the Chinese Super League and has already proved himself.
There are two other reasons why the team has done well:
First, Shanghai Harbor doesn't have the problems of the other three teams (injuries and tactical barriers), and all players are staying healthy.
Secondly, the arrival of Oscar and Javier made up for the eventual downside of Shanghai Harbor.
We need to explain this. Let's start with Oscar. We know that Shanghai Port has made a crazy amount of signings last season. Almost every position is a current or former outstanding international player, and the foreigners are distinctive and strong. Such a galactic battleship does not have a good commander. Of course, it's hard to maximize his power, and there's only one person who can motivate the battleship. That is Oscar.
As for Javier, former coach Leko was also a very good coach, but he was stubborn, so he made sure to make the team follow through with his tactical thinking. It's actually understandable, but the results are very average. However, Javier is completely different from Leko. Javier will also instill new tactical ideas, but more often than not, he will consider what tactics are suitable for this team and tailor them to maximize the team's strength. Moreover, Javier is too familiar with the environment and current situation of the Chinese Super League to know when and with what kind of attitude to face the unexpected events in the game.
Amazingly, Shanghai Seaport's temperament in live matches has also improved greatly. Just like facing Shenzhen in this round, being equalized by two consecutive goals from the opponents after being one man short near half time. The ball finished the game with firm conviction and not only did not disappoint the fans on the field, but also made a mental leap.
For Shanghai Harbor, the chances are very good this year. At least the new season has gotten off to a good start, getting into the swing of things before the other three big rivals (one could also argue that Shanghai is only doing what they should be doing, but the other three teams have their own problems).
If Shanghai Harbour can win the championship this year, I believe everyone will be satisfied. Apart from strength, there is another very important reason that the head of the Football Association is no longer Chen Xuyuan. Being able to make a breakthrough in terms of results will definitely wash away all the previous speculations and dissatisfaction.
There's only one difficulty facing Shanghai Harbor, and that's yourself. Or you are the only one who can beat the team. Take every game, every opponent seriously, give it your all every minute, and don't think about what the outcome will be. As long as you work hard in the process, I believe the ending won't be too bad.
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