Zeca's first appearance on the field was unfortunate, and he suffered an injury before he could show his strength, a turn of events that was not expected! Just when the official announcement of Zeca's joining the Taishan club was made, his accidental injury in training was a hammer blow, instantly weakening the Taishan team's overall strength. As Zeca missed the winter training, the possibility for him to return to the AFC Champions League knockout stage is almost zero. Further medical evaluation on his recovery process is still pending. Zeca has reportedly left for Brazil on the 24th to receive better examination and treatment.
However, it seems that Lao Cui has not shown his level of skill in his reinforcement strategy! Last season, he gave up on Leonardo and brought in a golden boot from the Indonesian league. Even if the Chinese Super League is not as good as it should be, it shouldn't be inferior to the Indonesian league, right? Even if it's assistant coach Fabio's recommendation, the final decision is still in the hands of the manager. I've always believed that if Leonardo had been retained, it's likely that Taishan wouldn't have missed out on the F.A.C. Cup and league double. Despite Choi Kang-hee's decent coaching record, we should not overly deify his abilities.
Taishan have splashed out on Pato and Zeca, but their overall performance has been underwhelming. Zeca's formalities have all been completed and the club is planning to register him for the AFC Champions League and the league. Nonetheless, fans are still hoping for a speedy recovery, a process that will undoubtedly be painful. Zeca suffered a knee ligament injury, which was initially diagnosed as a tear, and the club has yet to determine his recovery time, casting a shadow over Taishan's prospects for the new season.
We must be clear that coaching and attracting new talent are two different things, and one of Cui's stubborn character traits is this. When he took over the Taishan team, he didn't promise to develop new talent, which is why he favors "ready-to-play" players. Despite the fact that Gao Zhunyi, Bi Jinhao and Peng Xinli are all "ready to play" players, Taishan did not bring in any more strong national team-level reinforcements, not even one. On the contrary, Guoan, Shenhua and Seaport have introduced Lin Liangming, He Yupeng, Gao Tianyi, Xie Pengfei, Wang Zhenao, Wei Shihao and other national team players.
The soccer teams in Beijing and Shanghai have been particularly active in bringing in national team players. Shanghai Shenhua, in particular, boasts national team players such as Dai Weijun, Gao Tianyi, Xie Pengfei, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong and Wu Xi, as well as national players such as Zhang Wei, Wang Haijian, Xu Haoyang and Li Longhai. Shanghai Harbour, on the other hand, have national team level players such as Wu Lei, Xu Xin, Zhang Linpeng, Yan Junling, Jiang Guangtai and Wei Shihao, as well as Wang Zhen'ao, Li Shuai, Lu Wenjun and Wang Shenchao. They have also made elaborate arrangements in terms of foreign aid introduction.
Taishan team delayed the introduction of suitable foreign back players. Reporter Niu Zhiming analyzed that it is more difficult to sign in new foreign aid in January, especially the registration list for the AFC Champions League needs to be submitted by the end of January, the adjustment time is extremely limited. This requires foreign aid Kazayishvili to quickly integrate into the team, while naturalized players Fernando and Pato also need to play the level of foreign aid. We expect them to train hard and get ready for the new season, and we especially hope that Fernando will be selected for the national team! Otherwise, the pressure on the Taishan team to play on multiple fronts may be no less than last year.
