Analysis of Taishan's big win over Yatai
With a succession of mistakes by the goalkeeper and defenders of Yatai, Taishan scored four easy goals and achieved a seemingly lucky victory. However, looking at the whole game, Taishan's performance was even better. The backline learned the lessons from the fiasco with Henan and made targeted arrangements for the opponent's foreigners and counterattacking tactics. On the offensive side, they passed the ball patiently and cooperated with each other, and even when they took the lead, they did not slacken their defense.
Compared to the lineup of the previous round's narrow win over Guangzhou City, Taishan made changes to two positions for this game, with Liu Yang replacing Song Long and forming the backline with Dai Lin, Jia Desong and Wang Tong. The right side of the midfield was replaced by Liu Binbin for Duan Liuyu and Chen Pu on the other side. Sun Junhao and Moises reside in the center of the backfield, with Moises frequently stepping in and the gaps being filled by other midfielders. In the front line were Cressan and Jin Jingdao.
The 33 shots on goal in the last round were a deterrent to Yatai. At the beginning of the game, Yatai retreated in depth, ceding the midfield and possession of the ball in an attempt to utilize Eric's speed and breakthroughs for a counterattack. However, Taishan made a targeted arrangement for the opponent's counterattacking tactics, pressing forward and suppressing the opponent from the source. Liu Binbin's speed and Liu Binbin's quick follow-up forced the opponent to pass the ball and the attack ended hastily. Junior was also successfully stared at, almost no decent offense in the whole game.
The game was deadlocked until the 38th minute, when Yatai goalkeeper Liu Weiguo missed a catch and the ball rolled into his own goal, and Taishan scored an unexpected goal from the pressure in front of them. In the second half, Okere's mistake was another gift and Jin Jingdao scored with an easy shot. Then, Moises crossed the ball and Liu Guowei missed the catch and the ball went into the net. Yatai's three goals were all due to their own mistakes, Liu Guowei was then replaced.
With a three-goal lead, Taishan didn't let up and continued to put pressure on Yatai, which is one of the things Taishan did well in this game. Whether it was a long attack or a gift from the opponent, or a big lead, the team's offense and defense were in order. Afterwards, Moises broke through and shot on goal again, giving Taishan a 4:0 win.
Taishan's game was much improved in terms of content and quality compared to the previous three games. Yatai's deep retreat seemed to put little pressure on Taishan's defense, but Eric's counter-attacks and the pick-ups in front of Junior and Tan Long's goal had dealt a fatal blow to most of the teams in the Chinese Super League. However, Liu Binbin's speed and Jin Jingdao's and Moises' quick involvement in offense and defense made Yatai's counterattacks less effective.
In the offensive end, Chen Pu and Liu Binbin played well in the side road, especially Liu Binbin, speed and passing both, so that the opposing defenders difficult to deal with. Despite the effective retreat of Yatai, the second point of the release is often grabbed by Taishan for a second attack. Sun Junho and Moises are also getting better and better, with the former taking many long shots, and the latter finally breaking his goal drought with a cross and a world wave in the middle of the field in this game.
Taishan, without the involvement of a center forward, finally scored a goal and won the game, and although Cressan has not fully recovered his form, his cooperation with his teammates has improved significantly. Fellaini, Zhang Qi and Ji Xiang came on the field, which is a positive sign for Taishan. Dailin's injury is the only bad news, but Shi Ke's return from suspension will make up for the shortage of center backs. Taishan are heading in a better direction. (cm)
