Choi Kang-hee's boldness has been sorely tested in this campaign. Faced with Zeca's possible long absence, he may be able to fill the void of Delgado in the first half of the season, thus solidifying the team's fifth foreigner position. However, Taishan will have to wait patiently until the second transfer window opens to strengthen their midfield. I'm afraid Cui will have to learn from his mistakes and not make the same mistake as last year's hasty introduction of Pato. Taishan's performance this season will depend on the midfield reinforcements in the summer transfer window, which also concerns the layout of the new season's AFC Champions League group stage. Given the pace of the AFC Champions League, Taishan face a knockout stage at the beginning of the year and a group stage at the end of the year.
This year, the Taishan team seemed to operate too hastily in the transfer market. The team put all the transfer budget on Zeca, but unexpectedly he was plagued by injuries. This makes the team in the follow-up can not carry out effective attraction, internal aid market can only "pick up the missing". Shenhua signed Xie Pengfei for a transfer fee of 9 million, while Shandong Taishan could only sign some veterans. Compared to last season, only Gao Junyi and Kaza can really strengthen the starting lineup. Compared to rivals such as Shenhua and Guoan, who have made few changes to their starting lineups, Taishan will need to rely on Lao Cui's coaching.
The AFC Champions League has no limit on the number of foreigners, so theoretically Cressan, Delgado, Fernando, Kazaishvili, Jadson and Pato could all play at the same time. But judging from the positional distribution, it seems unrealistic to field all six at the same time. If Kawasaki Strikers fall behind at home, it is expected that these six players will work in tandem to launch counterattacks and maintain defense. According to Choi Kang-hee's tactical arrangement, starting four foreigners might be the limit, and we can't even rule out the scenario that Cressan will come on as a substitute in the first half and then make his debut in the second half. Last season, Incheon United relied on this strategy to turn the game around at home.
