As the curtain falls on the fourth round of this season's Chinese Super League, there are still four teams that have yet to taste the sweetness of victory: Group A's Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic, who are strapped for cash, Henan, who have yet to find their form after a name change, Group B's Jinmen Tigers, who are struggling to keep their team afloat, and Wuhan, who have just undergone a change of manager. In the fifth round of the competition, the Jinmen Tigers will face Wuhan directly, this matchup has been jokingly called a "rookie showdown" before the game, however, due to the past of the two head coaches, this matchup seems to be injected with a little bit of sadness in advance.
Li Xiaopeng, winner of the Chinese Super League's Best Coach honor for two consecutive seasons, is facing a lot of challenges in Wuhan. With two draws, two losses and two points from four games, they seem to be only slightly better than the Jinmen Tigers.
Yu Genwei, the legendary player who helped China's men's soccer team go from Asia to the world with a single goal, is now doing his best to clean up the mess of the Jinmen Tigers.
The two were teammates on the national team and also served together as double captains - when Shen Xiangfu temporarily acted as the national football team's head coach in 2002, he announced Yu Genwei and Li Xiaopeng as captains. This was the first time in the history of the national team that there was a double captain.
In the circumstances, double captaincy often meant not taking the field at the same time in a match. This subtle and complex relationship seems to be setting the stage for the league nearly 20 years later.
The relationship between the two is good, but there is a rivalry after all. Just like the current Zhuoer and Jinmen Tigers, they both desperately need three points, because these three points can really save their lives.
Li Xiaopeng has been in constant trouble recently, after all, the local coaching staff has vaguely heard the voice of the dismissal. Despite the support from the top management, the pressure is palpable - the first four rounds faced such strong opponents as Shenhua and Guoan, Li Xiaopeng's losses are still understandable. This time, facing the Jinmen Tigers, Li Xiaopeng has no reason not to take this league's weakest opponent.
Yu Genwei is also in a difficult situation, with only one point from four matches and at the bottom of the league in terms of goals scored and conceded, conditions that are difficult to improve in a short period of time. This is because the current staff reserves and level of preparation is really limited - other teams have been training all winter, while their own team only has three weeks to prepare for the game in a hurry. This puts the Tigers in a position where they are extremely easy to beat.
In this case, the "rookie showdown" has not yet begun, Li Xiaopeng seems to have an advantage. Not to mention, he knows the "Yida Combination" center backs of Li Songyi and Kadar of the Jinmen Tigers like the back of his hand.
