It has always been said that Chinese soccer strikers are very poor, they can't create chances and can't take chances. In fact, the reason is that our local strikers don't have a chance in our own league, so they don't grow up one by one, so they can't play when the national team faces high tempo international matches.
However, over the past two seasons, the big foreigners have left the Premier League as clubs ran out of money due to the end of the Golden Dollar era, but giving our local players a chance to work out and rise to the top. For example, the rise of Zhang Yuning has left our fans feeling that the national soccer team can't get any relief from their strikers. Last season, Zhang Yuning not only replaced Aixon in the national team as the main center forward, but also scored 19 goals in the Chinese Super League, making him the local bronze boot and best scorer.
Of course, if Zhang Yuning is the only local striker who rises to the top on his own, then the vulnerability issue certainly won't be resolved. So apart from Zhang Yuning, there is another local striker who deserves our trust, so who is this guy? I'm sure everyone knows the name, he's 35 year old Yatai veteran Tan Long.
Although Tan Long is 35 years old, this should be the twilight of his career, but because he has been working in the American league when he was younger, he is still in strong form because of his very strong physique and more self-discipline. At last year's East Asian Cup, Jankovic fielded Tan Long because Zhang Yuning was injured and there were no strikers for the Asian Games. Tan Long was also very strong and it was he who helped the Asian Games beat their opponents against Hong Kong, China and finished third in the East Asian Cup.
In the league, Tan Long also excelled, and his performance was even more consistent than that of the foreigners. Tan Long made his debut when Changchun Yatai challenged promotion horse Nantong Jiyun away from home in the fifth round of the Chinese Super League's marquee match. It was because of his outstanding performance that the team won.
It was the 23rd minute. Tan Long won the ball in front of the penalty area and, facing a rush of defenders, he chose to take a windy straight shot with the outside of his foot. Outside back Renner had a chance to form a forward cut. He calmly dunked the defender and fired a low, right-footed shot to the far corner of the net. Yatai led Nantong Zhiyun 1-0. This score was also the final result of the match. Half of the credit for this goal goes to Tan Long, who has a windy back foot. Really, Tan Long is playing more and more solidly now.
As you know, Lennardo is a foreigner loaned by Changchun Yatai from Shandong Taishan. Before his mediocre performance in Shandong Taishan, he always failed to score and was sprayed into the water by the fans. But then the loan to the K-League killed the quartet, and he was also very efficient in the J-League. This time he came to Changchun Yatai, Lennardo also exploded after a short period of adaptation, and his goal in this round was his second consecutive game.
What's the difference between Lennardo going from a waterboy for Taishan to a winger for Ateneo? Maybe there's another guy who can match him like Tan Long and feed him shells. What do you think?
