As we enter the month of February, the atmosphere of preparation for the Chinese Super League is strong. After completing the initial physical reserve, the team's polishing of the training lineup has become a top priority. Most teams have chosen to start their warm-ups at their original winter training grounds, making them an integral part of their winter training. At the same time, there are also cross-town warm-up matches, which are intended to enhance the effectiveness of the warm-up, especially when playing against teams of the same level, and help to more accurately assess the strength of the squad. 2023 Super League champions Seaport, under the guidance of Coach Muscat, have already completed three warm-up matches, and the team's form is stable.
Seaport's three warm-up matches were impressive, with a 4-0 win over Xu Genbao-coached Shanghai New Allsvenskan, a 7-1 thrashing of Shenzhen Youth, and an 8-3 win over Qingdao West Coast. The third warm-up match was a 120-minute, four-quarter session, and although the scoreline was wide, it showed the power gap between the Chinese Super League newcomers and the champions, especially with the absence of international players. Entering the beginning of February, Harbour's international players returned one after another, with new foreigners joining the team for a more complete lineup and a boost to the team's strength.
It is worth noting that in these three warm-up matches, the core of Seaport, Oscar, was in top form and became one of the strong guarantees for the team's title defense. After the winter training in Guangzhou, Seaport moved to Haikou to start the second phase of preparation. Under the arrangement of the coaching team, Seaport and Haikou Yatai played a friendly match in the Chinese Super League (CSL) on February 4, which was 135 minutes long and of higher intensity, with both sides rotating their starters and substitutes to provide exercise opportunities for young players.
At the beginning of the match, Harbor controlled the midfield and forced Yatai into passivity. After the return of the international players, Muscat tried to switch between 433 and 4231 formations with a clear strength advantage. Seaport took a one-goal lead in the first period, then both sides adjusted their lineups in the second period, and the game became even more tightly contested, but Seaport was more capable of seizing the chances, and eventually won with a two-goal advantage. In the third period, the number of young players increased and the competition between the two sides became more intense, but neither side was able to rewrite the score. In the end, Harbour defeated Yatai 2-0, showing a strong attacking force in their 2024 debut with four consecutive warm-up matches. Yatai, on the other hand, had two wins, one draw and three losses in warm-up matches this season, and coach Chen Yang needs to summarize and adjust his team more.
