In the blink of an eye, Qingdao West Coast Football Club's performance has taken a sharp turn for the worse, with only 2 wins in the next 17 rounds of matches, and 1 draw and 1 loss in the last two rounds, on the verge of relegation.
In the summer transfer window, Qingdao West Coast brought in three strong players, Mateusz Pines, Jin Yangyang and Chen Yuhao. However, coach Hisashi Kurosaki was forced to step down after a 1:2 defeat away to Tianjin Jinmen Tigers in the last round. Successor Shao Jiayi, the 44-year-old former international player, although playing football is excellent, but as a coach of the "rookie", he has only served as an assistant coach of the national football team, and has no first-team coaching experience. Rumor has it that Zheng Zhi was a potential replacement for Qingdao West Coast, but Shao Jiayi was eventually pushed into the limelight, with many in the media expressing disbelief.
The conversation between the general manager and the head coach is just as interesting.
Cangzhou Lions (Xiamen Junhao) originated from Xiamen and was originally the seed of Fujian soccer. After failing to gain a foothold locally, the team relocated to Shijiazhuang (Shijiazhuang Yongchang). It has gone through multiple tests such as overtaking, relegation, golden dollar era, post-golden dollar era, and neutral name reform. It is not easy to survive till now.
In the post-golden dollar era, many former international players joined the Cangzhou Lions, once regarded as a dark horse, but this is just a kind of media hype. Without high-level foreign aid and local internationals, how can they become dark horses? It is fortunate to be able to ensure not to be relegated every season. Of course, the team owes wages to the problem, so that the road to survival is even more bumpy.
There are two unanswered questions in the current Chinese Super League: when Shanghai Seaport's winning streak will end and when Cangzhou Lions' winning streak will end. Shanghai Seaport is currently on a 14-game winning streak in the Super League and 16-game winning streak in all competitions. Cangzhou Lions have won 15 consecutive rounds.
In the 19th round of matches, Cangzhou Lions drew 1:1 with Wuhan Sanzhen at home, ending a streak of 13 consecutive losses. The head coach at the time was Zhao Junzhe, while Li Xiaopeng was the club's general manager. It was predicted that they might swap roles, and so it turned out. However, Li Xiaopeng's performance in the head coaching position is not better than Zhao Junzhe's. In the last two rounds, the team lost 0:5 at home to Shanghai Shenhua and drew 0:0 on the road to Changchun Yatai, which is an improvement, but not yet a win.
Li Xiaopeng, whose hometown is Qingdao, has only played for one club, Shandong Taishan, in his career.
The two teams have met twice before, in the third round of the 2023 F.A.C.A. Cup, Qingdao West Coast won 2:1; this year's sixth round of the Chinese Super League, Cangzhou Lions reversed the victory at home 3:2, which is considered to be a tie. This time, although the result may not be satisfied with both sides, but the possibility of "peace for the noble" is very high.
