Shanghai Harbour missed out on a spot in the AFC Champions League with a 2-3 home loss to Thailand's Pathum United, and the Pudong soccer stadium was abuzz with cries of discontent - "Shame on you!" "Javier, get off!" Harbour head coach Javier, a man who has always been confident, is facing an unprecedented crisis of confidence.
It is not only the fans who are dissatisfied, but also the club insiders who bluntly revealed to reporters after the 3-4 home defeat against Zhejiang in the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League, "We are obviously stronger than our opponents, but today's loss exposes the inadequacy of the head coach's ability." This is not the first time the club has heard similar comments. Since Javier took office soon after, the team began to circulate his evaluation of the former Henan head coach: "The ability is mediocre, but the temper is very big." The outside world's first knowledge of Javier's temper stems from the sixth round of the Chinese Super League match against Qingdao Hainiu, in which he and foreign aid Vargas were nearly turned away due to a passenger change.
The Harbour are currently leading the Chinese Super League by 12 points and are on course to win the title, but the role that Javier has played in this has left one to ponder. For a team with top foreigners such as Oscar and Vargas and many internationals, half a season in charge has not led to a qualitative leap in the team's strength. Seaport has won only one of their last three matches, and their star players are exhausted. Although the team has a strong foreign aid lineup and deep bench depth, Javier's stubborn rotation strategy has led to physical exhaustion of the starters and a decline in their form.
After losing the AFC Champions League qualifying match, the ever-confident Javier suddenly showed unprecedented sincerity in front of the media, apparently realizing his current predicament. For the Harbour, they have to make a quick decision on whether to continue supporting Javier or not. Although Javier had led the team to lead the Chinese Super League for a long time, the loss in the AFC Champions League qualification match had become a pain that could not be erased. The team's lack of substantial improvement in half a season is partly the responsibility of the head coach. With an eye on the future, the Harbors may want to consider a coaching change.
