However, even in the pain of Fellaini and Moises' departure, Shandong Taishan decisively introduced Kazaishvili to enhance the thickness of the front line, but have to face up to the fact that the team's offensive firepower in the penalty area still suffers a little weakened. Especially in the key moment of competition for set pieces, the team is more and more dependent on the temporary striker Jadson's excellent play. It's worth mentioning that Shandong Taishan showed a richer offense in the face of Kawasaki Striker's challenge, which is undoubtedly encouraging. At the same time, coach Choi Kang-hee will need to explore how to effectively contain the Yokohama Mariners' offense, especially the pairing of Elbe and Lopez.
In addition, the back-to-back fixtures pose a severe test of the players' physical fitness. With the Chinese Super League kicking off on March 1, Shandong Taishan's debut will be on March 3 against Changchun Yatai. On the third day after their first CSL match, the team will have their first home and away match against Yokohama Marinos. Immediately after the second round of matches with Beijing Guoan on March 9, Shandong Taishan will only have two days of rest before they have to rush to Japan for the crucial second round of matches. 4 consecutive matches in 11 days will be a great challenge to the players' physical fitness.
It is worth mentioning that the schedule of the new season of the Chinese Super League shows the good intentions of the Football Association. In the first five rounds of matches, Shandong Taishan was able to play three consecutive home games. Obviously, the Football Association has foreseen the possibility of Shandong Taishan to enter the eight-team AFC Champions League, so it has reserved space in the schedule to avoid the team's plight of continuously running between home and away matches. In this regard, we can not help but to express our sincere respect for the thoughtful arrangements of the Football Association.
