May 8 (Bloomberg) -- Shijiazhuang Kung Fu earned its first league point of the season with a 1-1 draw away to promotion rival Yanbian Longding in the third round of the Central League at the end of last weekend.
Last season, Shijiazhuang Kung Fu missed out on the Chinese Super League after finishing fourth in the Central League by four points. Before the start of this season, they brought in former internationals Ding Haifeng, Zhao Mingjian and foreigner Ogbu. They were also interested in winning the new season beyond and were seen as one of the favorites to go beyond. However, the result of 1 draw and 2 losses in the league start gave the team a blow. Recently Football Daily published an article titled Shijiazhuang Kung Fu, why hit the wall to overtake the favorites? The article analyzed the current situation of Shijiazhuang Kungfu.
The article points out that although Shijiazhuang Kung Fu is the first team to begin preparations for the 2023 season, the lack of hope of making up for the Chinese Super League will cause a great deal of disruption to the team, both in terms of the mentality of the preparations and the way the preparations are carried out. Firstly, in terms of signings, Shijiazhuang Kung Fu Club's signings have remained the same, as the level of foreign aid in the two tiers of the league is clearly different, and long awaited an official statement from the Football Association. Secondly, although the whole team trained late, most of the new recruits started only after the CFA officially announced the finals of the three-tier league at the end of March.
Another fact that cannot be ignored is the impact of veteran Wang Song's departure from the team, the article said. Last season, Wang Song contributed 2 goals and 13 assists to Shijiazhuang Kungfu, crowned as the king of assists in the Central League, especially on set-pieces and corner kicks in front of the field, which repeatedly became the team's attacking weapon. After the end of last season, Shijiazhuang Kungfu Club allowed the players to move to Nantong Zhiyun. Although Bu Xin and Zhao Mingjian were subsequently signed as additions, it was not a quick fix to fill the statistic gap left by Wang Song.
The article concludes by stating that Shijiazhuang Kung Fu restored the team's opening performance. First, the tactical problem. The team ranked fourth last season, relying on proven defensive counterattack tactics. However, the Kung Fu team often had to attack the inept positional battles after being considered super popular in the new season. Secondly, a large number of players with rich experience in the Chinese Super League have entered various Central League teams, blurring the strength of the league and making the overall strength of this year's Central League teams more balanced. Shijiazhuang Kung Fu then summarized the situation within the team. The coaching staff hoped that the players would calm down, especially back at home, get rid of the pressure, play at the same pace and level as before, and play well.
