Shanghai Port entered the new season with some ups and downs but a good record. After the first six rounds, they had four wins, two draws and no defeats, and with 14 points, two behind Shanghai Shenhua, they were third on the Super League table and still the favorite to win the Super League title this season.
After taking over Shanghai Port, new coach Muscat is very pragmatic and attaches great importance to the use of foreign aid, unlike his predecessor who wasted foreign aid resources by having only two or three foreign aiders in a game. In addition, Muscat is relatively conservative and prefers to use meritorious veterans like Zhang Linpeng and Wang Shenchao. Young players like Liu Zhurun and Liu Xiaolong are hard to get relatively stable playing time under his command.
After the first six rounds, Liu Zhu Run only had two chances to play; Liu Xiaolong had less. After six rounds, he only had one chance to play. But the most frustrating player is not these two young stars, but former national soccer defender Wei Zhen. After Zhang Linpeng got old, everyone thought Wei Zhen, who is only 27 this year, was on his way up. If he wants experience, individuality and personal ability, he's bound to get Muscat's trust.
But the result is not so. According to statistics, after the first seven games (including the Super Cup final), Wei Zhen did not get a minute of opportunity to play since the beginning, all the way down to the decoration, become Shanghai Hong Kong lineup redundant. From this, in the new coach Muscat's tactical system, the former national football defense iron door was completely ignored.
Wei Zhen is from Shanghai Lucky Star Youth Training Camp. He is a center back. He is in good physical condition. He is 189cm tall and weighs 80KG. it can be said that he needs height, height, confrontation and confrontation. When he stands in the back line, it's a natural barrier. This is a good material to play center back naturally. Wei Zhen has been called up by national teams of all ages for his outstanding talent and excellent physical qualities, and had been touted as a future hopeful in the national defense. Last year, when Jankovic coached the Chinese men's soccer team, Wei Zhen was called up by the national team several times and represented the Chinese men's soccer team in several matches.
At Shanghai Port, Wei Zhen has also been treated well in recent seasons. Stats show that in the past six seasons, he has played 133 games and started 101 for Shanghai Port, especially in 2021 and 2022 when he had the chance to start almost every game. Who would have thought that in the year of the game, Wei Zhen would have become a decoration for Shanghai Port. If you keep going like this without a chance to start, don't rule out the possibility that Wei Zhen will start doing business and move to another Chinese Super League team. After all, with his ability, you don't have to worry about finding a new boss.
