To say what kind of player is most lacking in Chinese soccer now, I believe many fans will say the back in unison. As an example, everyone knows. Who is the last back of the national soccer team 10? The answer is Zheng Zhi. Zheng Zhi's last appearance on behalf of the national soccer team has been almost 40 years old, 41 years old can still run around in the Chinese Super League. Of course, we can say that Zheng Zhi works really hard and is very disciplined. But on the other hand, we lack a good back up, forcing a 40 year old to start the whole game and help the team attack while constantly defending.
Of course, we can't count on Zheng Zhi now, as he officially bid farewell to the pitch with a retirement ceremony before the previous national team warm-up match. We couldn't really beat our previous expectations. But he didn't leave soccer, and now he's going to be a coach. What should the national soccer team do without Zheng Zhi? As a matter of fact, a very important reason for the poor performance of the national soccer team in these two years is the decline of the midfield ability. No one can have the defensive intensity like Zheng Zhi, and no one can drive the team's offense from the midfield.
However, when Zheng Zhi retired, we had to look for a new replacement, so good homegrown backs became a hot resource in the Chinese Super League. Anyone with good ability has to be hot, and everyone craves it. However, recently, an international player suddenly lost his job. He was canceled by the team. What's going on here?
I'm sure many fans know that the most talked about transfer in the Chinese Super League recently was Dai Weijun joining Shanghai Shenhua on a free agent basis, and is being touted as the future of the national soccer team's midfield. When a newcomer comes in, it's natural that someone will give up their spot. However, everyone would have assumed that Shenhua would remove some young players who couldn't play. But to their surprise, Shenhua removed another international player at the back, 31-year-old Peng Xinli.
Born in 1991, Peng Xinli made his debut with Chengdu Sheffield United. in 2011, at the age of 20, he was selected for the national team after playing a starring role in the team. At that time, he was also regarded as Zheng Zhi's successor. However, he was poached by Evergrande's high salary in the new year. However, after joining Guangzhou Evergrande, Peng Xinli sat on the bench in the league and made single digit appearances every season. It was seen that everyone wanted to forget about him. Later, Peng Xinli chose to leave Evergrande and go to Chongqing. Soon, Peng Xinli played a starring role in Chongqing and performed better and better, returning to the national team.
Who doesn't want an international player at the back? So Shanghai Shenhua quickly stepped in and scooped up Peng Xinli. Soon, Peng Xinli became Shenhua's main back and made his debut in the AFC Champions League. Later on, Wu Xi joined the team, and he had a great time playing with his partner. However, Peng Xinli fell out of favor when the new season started. Wu Jingui, under the guidance of the back position, chose the combination of Wu Xi and foreigner Amadou, and Peng Xinli became the substitute. Even after Wu Xi's injury, Wu Jingui was able to push up youngster Wang Haijian without Peng Xinli. Even Dai Weijun directly withdrew Peng Xinli's enrollment this time, leaving him unemployed.
However, there is no shortage of next homes for a player as powerful as Peng Xinli. If he wants to leave the team, many teams will want him. Among them, Chengdu Rongcheng and Qingdao Hainiu are not good choices. Chengdu is the place where his dream started and Qingdao Hainiu missed Zhang Xiuwei. If Peng Xinli fills the gap, this is also a very good choice.
