However, even after the departure of Fellaini and Moises, Shandong Taishan urgently brought in Kazaishvili in order to strengthen the strength of the attacking end, but it is undeniable that the team's effectiveness of attacking in the penalty area is still weakened. In particular, the team had to rely more on Jadson, who was temporarily playing as a striker, in the crucial moments when they were fighting for set-pieces. However, against Kawasaki Striker, Shandong Taishan's attacking strategies seem to have become more varied, which is certainly an encouraging progress. Meanwhile, Coach Choi Kang-hee will need to probe deeper into how to effectively contain the Yokohama Mariners' offense, especially the defensive strategy against Elbe and Lopez.
Not to be overlooked is that the intensive schedule puts a severe test on the players' physical fitness. With the Chinese Super League kicking off on March 1, Shandong Taishan's first match is scheduled for March 3 against Changchun Yatai. On the third day of the first round of fixtures, the team will have to face Yokohama Marinos in the first round at home. Immediately following the second round match against Beijing Guoan on March 9, Shandong Taishan will only have two days of rest before they have to urgently travel to Japan for the second round of the tournament. In 11 days, the team has to deal with four games, which is undoubtedly a huge challenge to the players' physical fitness.
It is particularly 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 advancing to the last eight of the AFC Champions League, thus reserving space for the schedule in advance, avoiding the team's plight of frequently traveling between home and away games. In this regard, we can not help but express our heartfelt appreciation to the Football Association for their thorough consideration and meticulous arrangements.
