We are now two-thirds of the way through the Chinese Super League (CSL) campaign, with all the big guns on the accelerated runway for the final ten rounds of the season. However, this season is very different from the past, the rise of the Harbour Team is like an erupting volcano, the championship is almost a foregone conclusion, the only suspense is whether they can win the title before a few rounds. The battle for second place is a different story. Last year's AFC Cup winners, Taishan, are back in form, making the race for the runner-up spot a confusing one.
Taishan has now left Shenhua behind and jumped to the second place in the table, with results like a phoenix rising from the ashes. This is due to the magic of Choi Kang-hee, who took over the team in the middle of the season and made the team's predicament complicated and difficult to solve. After two months of polishing, Taishan regained their winning pace. Coupled with the outstanding play of individual key players, Fernando, who was once considered a "water product", has now shown the world the light of day.
In the winter transfer window, Taishan signed Fernando. The player has not played for two years, and his form has dropped, with only 30 minutes of fitness left. But Taishan team did not give up, continue to motivate "small motorcycle". Especially with the arrival of Choi Kang-hee, the South Korean manager is full of confidence in Fernando, and even personally assisted in the development of a recovery plan, fine-tuning the daily training and playing time in the game, and patiently tapping into his potential.
In addition to technical recovery, Choi Kang-hee also paid attention to Fernando's body. In order to avoid fatigue and injuries caused by his long layoff, Choi Kang-hee strictly controlled the intensity of his training. Rehabilitation coaches also pay close attention to the "little motorcycle". Half a season of careful care, Fernando lived up to the expectations, the state gradually rebounded.
Although still far from his best, Fernando has started to score goals for his team, with a growing sense of threat in the box, and has also helped his team win penalties. Coming on as a substitute in the 19th round, he made a long run to break through the defense, and in the 20th round, a Meizhou Hakka player was fouled for a personal error. Pato scored his first goal with the penalty, which should also be credited to Fernando.
According to insiders, national team manager Jankovic is very interested in Fernando and he could be recalled to the national team again. In addition, more sources indicate that Jankovic is extremely interested in Fernando. Fernando has only participated in training before and has never appeared in an official national team match. If he can return, the 30-year-old "little motorcycle" will be highly anticipated by the outside world. After Wang Dalei, Liu Yang, Sun Guowen, Chen Pu and Liu Binbin, Fernando is expected to become the sixth national team member of Taishan.
