Reporter Chen Yong reveals that as the league enters the end, only 12 rounds left, Shandong Taishan and the leader Shanghai seaport points gap has widened to 14 points, the prospect of winning the title is worrying. The Taishan team needs to gather consensus and lock the target, such as striving for a good performance, fighting the key battles, and improving the chances of young players to play at the right time.
Facing Zhejiang, Taishan were tested by both the pitch and the weather. The pitch conditions were among the worst in the Chinese Super League, with Cressan saying it was one of the worst matches of his career. The rain intensified in the second half and waterlogged the pitch, affecting the game.
In fact, the supervisor or referee should have postponed the game in the second half to mitigate the effects of the waterlogging. This is an issue that should be taken into account in the future of the Chinese Super League, which is still plagued by rain.
Both teams failed to play at their best and each team was awarded a penalty kick. Towards the end of the match, Taishan made a mistake in serving the ball out of bounds and Zhejiang seized the opportunity. Wang Dalei took a quality shot, but Zhang Jiaqi's header from a corner kick in the 98th minute ended the match.
This is Choi Kang-hee's first defeat after coaching Taishan. In the previous 10 battles, Choi Kang-hee led his team to 6 wins and 4 draws, and Taishan realized 12 rounds of undefeated, with 6 wins and 6 draws during the period.
After this game, Taishan will continue to challenge Meizhou Hakka on the road, the key game in the 1/8th final of the AFC Cup. With three losses this season, one of which was to Hakka on the road, this match is of great significance to Taishan, especially with no hope of winning the league and no room for error in the AFC Cup.
It is worth noting that Taishan's home record is excellent, with 5 wins and 2 draws, and an average score of 2.43 points, but its away record is low, with an average score of only 1.09 points, a significant difference between home and away.
After meeting Hakka on the road, Taishan will have five consecutive home matches. At present, Taishan's spirit and technical and tactical play are generally recognized, but there are still problems in the details. More importantly, the psychological pressure caused by penalties needs to be adjusted as soon as possible.
At the end of this round, Taishan has 29 points and Seaport has 43 points, so the hope of winning the championship is getting slimmer and slimmer. In this case, Taishan team is facing the risk of a decline in spirit, need to clarify the goal, unify the mind, in order to maintain the fighting spirit.
In order to fight for a good result in the league, Taishan must form a consensus and strive to return to the top three, which is the honor of the old powerhouse. Key battles such as the Battle of Beijing and Lu, the Qilu Derby, and the second-round showdowns with Sanzhen and Seaport will require all-out efforts. The AFC Cup is even more important.
The club and coaching staff consciously cultivate young players is especially important in the case of no hope of winning the championship. During the transfer period, Taishan adjusted the list of young players, Shi Songchen, Yimulan, Peng Xiao and Yu Jinyong were withdrawn from enrollment.The three players in the 2005 age group mainly participated in the China Youth Football League and Learning Youth Club, with limited opportunities for first team appearances.
Supplementary enrollments include Ricky Yang, Mustapa Tasi, Jia Fei Fan, Abdul Meat Suli and Chen Zeshi. U Lang remains on the roster. Jia Feifan may leave the team early due to the Olympic team call-up, and the rest of the players are expected to represent Taishan in the next league matches.
