Compared to previous seasons, Shanghai Seaport's performance this season has improved significantly. In the first eight rounds of the Chinese Super League, they have achieved six wins and two draws, maintaining an undefeated record. They have now amassed 20 points and lead the Super League table by two points, making them the leading favorite to win the title this season.
In terms of overall strength, Shanghai Port can be said to be the pride of the Chinese Super League, with the local No.1 striker Wu Lei in the front line; the Brazilian ace core Oscar in the midfield; and especially in the defensive line, they are all international players. Stanley Wang, Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linmiao, Li Ang, are all local first-class defense players.
With such a talented Shanghai backline, it's only natural that some players will be left out in the competition by head coach Javier Pereira. After all, Javier Pereira is new to the team and the first thing he wants to ensure is that the team has a relatively outstanding record. In the quest to maximize the record, it is only natural that some of the local young talent would fall victim to the team's quest to maximize the record. An example is Wei Zhen, the newly promoted national player who just turned 26.
Data shows that so far, Wei Zhen has only gotten four appearances in the first eight rounds of the Chinese Super League under the command of new coach Javier Pereira, with only one pathetic debut appearance. In Javier Pereira's tactical system, such inconsistent playing time is enough to prove that Wei Zhen is just a dispensable chicken rib player. Think about it, with Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linmiao, Li Ang and many other international defenders competing for the job, how can the inexperienced Wei Zhen get stable playing time?
Wei Zhen is also one of a generation of hopefuls nurtured by the Shanghai Genbao soccer base, just like young talents such as Chen Wei, Li Shenyuan and Zhang Huachen. Due to his excellent physical condition, solid defense, strong overall view, good sense and excellent mental quality, he is regarded by Chinese fans as the future leader of the national team's backline.
Of course, Wei Zhen hasn't lived up to the fans' expectations of him. Over the past few seasons, he's become an indispensable mainstay of the Shanghai Port defense, especially in 2021 and 2022, where he's gotten playing time in almost every game and starts in almost every game. Naturally, Wei Zhen also proved to be good enough to carry the responsibility of the backline defense with very solid performances.
Originally thought that the new coach Javier Pereira into the Shanghai team, 26-year-old Wei Zhen will continue to be stable in Shanghai's defense position, but I did not expect the new coach Javier Pereira played solid, more trust in Zhang Linpeng, Jiang Guangtai and other international players. The carrot pit, the defender position is limited, Wei Zhen naturally gradually become the team's chicken ribs players.
It is worth noting that Wei Zhen was just selected for the Chinese national team in March this year, and his center-back combination with Zhu Chenjie has been praised by the public for his impressive performance. It is undoubtedly regrettable and unfortunate to lose this young and promising defender at Shanghai SIPG. Hopefully Wei Zhen can rely on his own efforts and gradually change his fate at Shanghai Port. Otherwise, if the situation is not good, he may consider moving to other teams to seek better development opportunities.
