The drums of war are rumbling for the 2021 Chinese Super League season, which will kick off on April 20th. Today, only half a month before the game, all the big players have been gearing up for the game. This weekend, many teams launched warm-ups to test the results of winter training. Although the warm-ups can't fully show the strength of the teams, they can still give a glimpse.
In addition to Guangzhou, Shanghai Harbor, Beijing Guoan and Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Shenhua and Shenzhen are not to be underestimated in the Chinese Super League title race. Especially the Shenzhen team, in the winter transfer window after the large sums of reinforcements, the goal is aimed directly at the qualification of the AFC Champions League.
Since March, the warm-up matches show that Shanghai Harbor, Shenzhen and Shanghai Shenhua have the strength to hit the top of the list. The "eight champions" Guangzhou team due to personnel shortages, the overall strength of the damage. Shandong Taishan's recent situation is not good, only one win in four warm-up matches, conceding as many as 13 goals, the main foreign aid failed to return to the team has a deep impact. Beijing Guoan's two warm-up matches were also unsatisfactory, defeating Nantong Zhiyun and drawing with Zhejiang, and Augusto and Fernando were unable to return to the team, so the outlook is worrisome.
Guangzhou, the eight-time Chinese Super League (CSL) champion, has kept a low profile this season. Due to injuries and national team training, the team has not played any warm-up matches. on March 19, Guangzhou won 6:2 against Zhejiang, a team with a full Chinese squad, and has won 2, drawn 1, and lost 1 of its four warm-up matches so far, with only one loss, a 3:4 match against the Cangzhou Lions on Feb. 27. with injuries to the players, and the inability of Talisman and Paulinho to return to the team, the fighting power of the new season is likely to be affected.
In contrast, the two Shanghai teams are in good shape in their warm-up matches, and their foreign aid is also in place. Shanghai Seaport beat Suzhou Dongwu 4:1 on April 3, undefeated in eight warm-up matches, and also beat Qingdao 3:0 and Shandong Taishan 5:0, an eye-catching performance. Shanghai Shenhua also beat Henan Songshan Longmen 2:1 in a warm-up match on the same day, with star players Peng Xinli and Zhu Chenjie missing due to injuries, and the team is in good shape overall.
