Cao Yunding has only one year left on his contract, which will come to an end at the end of this year, with little chance of renewal. Nevertheless, his mindset is still positive, after all, Shenhua's performance this season has not disappointed the fans. With the group stage of the AFC Champions League about to kick off, Coach Slutsky may revisit Cao Yunding's position. With eight rounds of the Chinese Super League in the books, the title race is beginning to take shape, and Shenhua has yet to solidify its lead. The team is still lacking in certain areas, such as a single attacking tactic, the waning influence of Maraille, and the lack of ball handling skills, which also affects the overall performance.
The configuration of Andre Luiz and Mallet as the key foreigners in the title race is still insufficient. Luiz is fast, but in the last game, he was easily outpaced by the opposition and only played a limited role in the pivot position. Malelei was poor in handling the ball, and if Shenhua really want to compete for the title, replacing him and looking for a fast striker with good ball control is a top priority. Shanghai Harbor's wide backs have been poor and Shenhua's forward line lacks sharpness. The match against Seaport is just an appetizer, as Malelai has left the team to attend to his personal matters and is likely to miss the next round of matches.
Last month, Shanghai Shenhua played only five games, which was especially light compared to other teams in the same period, resulting in an intensive May schedule of six games in just 25 days, which is a real test for the team. 1 May, Shenhua will return home to face the Cangzhou Lions, which will undoubtedly be a tough battle, as Cangzhou's counter-attacking ability is not to be underestimated, and their focus on defense, Shenhua needs to find a strategy to break the opponent's tight defense. Shenhua will need to find a strategy to break the opponent's tight defense. With Manafa out for at least three matches, the right side of the pitch has suffered a major loss of attacking and defensive ability, and with captain Wu Xi temporarily replacing the right back with a decent performance, Shenhua will need to prepare for the summer transfer market well in advance, in order to keep the team competitive on the road to the title.
