As the saying goes, "A thousand armies are easy to find, but one general is hard to find", so how important it is to have such a wise and courageous general in the team.
Last season in the league, Wuhan Three Town went all the way, basically looking over their shoulders wherever they went, creating an impressive record of 16 rounds undefeated. However, I lost my front hooves when I came across a famous Cangzhou lion.
Shandong Taishan, as the traditional powerhouse of the league, basically has no certainty of victory no matter which team is up against it. Last season, Taishan and Wuhan Sanzhen's title fight had become the main theme of the whole season, so Taishan didn't dare to relax at all. In the last minute of the league, Taishan met Cangzhou Lions, but accidentally conceded a goal and lost the initiative to win the championship.
Why are the Cangzhou Lions so strong, defeating Shandong Taishan and Wuhan Sanzhen in a row? There was nothing special about the tactical arrangements of the two games. All that can be said is that the big man in the lineup, Jose Cante, was really good and almost led the team to beat the two title-winning giants by himself.
Those two games were just the highlights for Jose Kanter. During his time with the Cangzhou Lions, Kante scored 14 goals in just 16 games and provided several spectacular assists, becoming the absolute heart of the attack and organization up front.
The Cangzhou Lions had little hope when they signed José Canter. After all, according to his professional CV, there were no obvious highlights, so he only gave him a six-month contract, that is, at the end of the season, and of course the salary was pitifully low at 800,000 euros. Who would have thought that José Canter was out of control. While scoring goals like a juggernaut, the assists were spectacular, and he became not only the absolute centerpiece of the team, but also a key target for the opponents.
Based on this performance, a contract extension is definitely a top priority for the Cangzhou Lions. However, Jose Canter's salary demands were hardly enough to meet the arrears and operational difficulties within the team, so he had to opt out.
At this time, I gave other teams a chance. Such a good striker, logically, will certainly cause many clubs to rob him. Although he is 32 years old, based on his competitive status and the intensity of the confrontation in the Chinese Super League, it's not a problem to play another two or three seasons.
According to the technical characteristics of José Canter, Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Port basically need such a player, and these teams are basically not short of money. When Wuhan Sanzhen left Malcolm, Shanghai Port lacked Ndiaye, and Shandong Taishan's senior center Guo Tianyu was in poor shape. Didn't Jose Canter just fill their shoes? Yet, since the beginning, no team has made substantial progress, even though they only ask about it occasionally. They preferred to trust their vision in the transfer market rather than bring in José Canter, who has already proved himself in the Chinese Super League.
Then J-League powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds extended an olive branch and invited Jose Canter to join with great sincerity. The Cangzhou Lions were unable to renew their own contract, and the other teams in the Chinese Super League did not introduce themselves with sincerity. Leaving the J-League became a no-brainer for José Canter.
The J-League and the Chinese Super League have completely different styles. Our Chinese Super League is basically based on foreign aiders, regardless of offense and defense. The form of the foreigners determines the team's performance, and the tactical arrangement of the head coach is also centered on the foreigners. However, this is not the case in the J-League. In most teams, the manager is basically tactical and the players are just part of the tactics, meaning that no matter how good the players are, they are just part of the tactical system and do not rely too much on the foreign aiders like in the Chinese Super League.
In such an environment, foreigners tend to play easier and more readily utilize their strengths, unlike in the Chinese Super League where they are so tired. It is predictable that Jose Canter, who can kill all sides in the Chinese Super League, will unleash himself further once he arrives at Urawa Red Diamonds. Fortunately, there is no Urawa Red Diamonds in this year's AFC Champions League, otherwise this team would be a strong rival of the Chinese Super League. In addition, Josecante knows so much about the Chinese Super League, I wonder who of our Chinese Super League AFC Champions League teams would dare to challenge for victory.
Finally, I have to say that Jose Cante's departure is a huge loss for the CFL. Think about it. In the general environment of Chinese soccer, coupled with the salary restriction policy, what other quality foreign aid can we attract to the Chinese Super League? A foreigner like Josecante is already a very rare cost-effective foreigner. Now he's been released. I wonder if our Chinese Super League giants will regret it.
