In the second round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) season, Shandong Luneng encountered Beijing Guoan, a team that has a lot of strength. In order to maintain the overall strength of the team, Luneng kept most of the main players in the crucial AFC Champions League knockout matches, while focusing on the league. As a result, the team's core players such as Peng Xinli, Kazaishvili, Li Yuanyi and Mateus Pato were rotated, while Krysan, who missed the match due to injury, failed to make the starting lineup, and was replaced by substitutes or fringe players such as Song Long, Bi Jinhao, Zhao Jianfei and Jia Feifan.
Surprisingly, even though Choi Kang-hee made such a large-scale rotation, the 36-year-old veteran Zhang Zhi still failed to get a chance to play and became the team's setup. As we all know, Zhang Zhi did not get a single minute of playing time from the beginning to the end of the game, and became a redundant member of the team.
What is even more frustrating is that Zhang Zhi also did not get any playing time in the first two rounds of the new season. This shows that, as the years go by, Luneng's meritorious veteran has become lost in Cui Kangxi's tactical system and has become a spectator of the game.
Zhang Qi, as the loyal "loyal general" of Shandong Luneng, has never left the team since his debut in 2010. From a young boy to the end of his career, he has spent 13 years at Luneng. It can be said that Zhang Chi will be the best youth in life dedicated to Shandong Luneng, he is likely to choose to end his soccer career in Luneng. Therefore, he is expected to realize his wish of "one man, one city".
Zhang Zhi, as a wingback, possesses excellent physical qualities, solid defense and strong creativity in front of the field. He is fast and explosive, and at his peak, he can often create offensive opportunities for the team with his personal breakthroughs. According to statistics, so far, Zhang Zhi has contributed 10 goals and 10 assists for Shandong Luneng, with a large number of key passes.
Although Zhang Zhi is 36 years old this year, his athleticism has not declined significantly thanks to his self-discipline. In his current state, although he may not be able to become the team's main force, but when the team needs to rotate, let him as a replacement for the odd man out is undoubtedly a good choice. However, it seems that Choi Kang-hee no longer trusts the veteran, sitting him on the bench for two consecutive matches and becoming the team's setup. Such a loyal minister and good general can only helplessly watch from the sidelines in his later years. This is perhaps where the cruelty of competitive sports lies.
