As the Chinese Super League draws to a close, there are only three matches left to be decided. Harbor will win the Super League title early if they beat Beijing Guoan in the next round. Shandong Taishan have basically locked up a spot in the AFC Champions League. Shanghai Shenhua, Zhejiang and Beijing Guoan will fight for the final qualification for the AFC Champions League. On the relegation front, Shenzhen seems to have locked the relegation spot in advance. On the other hand, the newly promoted teams Qingdao Hainiu, Dalian Ren and Nantong Zhiyun are fighting hard for the relegation spot. Qingdao Hainiu, in particular, only need to win one game to complete the relegation mission in advance.
With this in mind, the showdown between Dalian Ren and Nantong Zhiyun is likely to decide the remaining relegation spots. By virtue of their goal difference, Dalianjin have a head start over Nantong Zhiyun on the road to relegation. Last year, Xie Hui successfully led Dalian Ren to complete the relegation battle. This season, despite the departure of the team's main players and the decline of their strength, Xie Hui is still leading the team to seek the road to relegation in the face of adversity, which is undoubtedly a commendable result.
Personally, I think that regardless of whether or not the Dalianese manage to survive relegation this season, head coach Xie Hui may part ways with the team. With Wanda Group stopping its capital injection, the cash-strapped Dalianers will have a hard time retaining their core players. Like Xie Hui, Dalian's key players such as Lin Liangming, Wang Zhen'ao, Huang Jiahui, He Yupeng and other international players are coveted by other Chinese Super League teams. In order to alleviate the financial pressure, if other teams offer the right transfer fee, Dalian may consider selling these key players to ensure the normal operation of the team. This is the only way for the team to survive.
Even if Xie Hui has extraordinary ability, it is difficult for him to do anything against the traditional giants who are well-funded. Therefore, leaving Dalian to seek a new way out may become the best choice for Xie Hui. From the current situation, if Xie Hui leaves Dalian, he is likely to return to Shanghai and join Shanghai Shenhua or Shanghai Harbor, which may be his ideal home. Dalian is also actively looking for a suitable successor for Xie Hui.
Today, while browsing the media, I accidentally found a report that if Xie Hui is no longer the coach of Dalian, the team is likely to recruit former national soccer midfielder Zhao Xu Ri. Zhao Xuri, nicknamed "Zhao Yifu", is known for his amazing long-distance shots at the World Youth Championships. It is worth mentioning that Zhao Xu Ri was born in Dalian Shide's youth training camp. In the era of gold-dollar soccer, he played for Chinese Super League A teams such as Guangzhou Evergrande, Tianjin Quanjian and Dalian Ren. As an experienced veteran, Zhao Xuri has won the Chinese Super League title with Evergrande four times.
Two months later, Zhao Xuri will be 38 years old. Currently playing for Guangxi Pingguo, Zhao Xuri is likely to choose to retire at the end of the season and end his career. As an excellent midfielder, Zhao Xuri has the potential to become a team manager. In his time as a player, he has accumulated a wealth of experience in the Chinese Super League with many giants, and can often be found on the bench discussing the team's tactics with his teammates and coaches. After his retirement, Zhao Xuri will not leave soccer. He is likely to return to Dalian to continue his soccer career as a coach.
Despite Zhao Xuri's current lack of substantial coaching experience, inviting the famous Dalian footballer to return to the team and replace Xie Hui as the new coach is undoubtedly the optimal choice at the moment.
