After beating Henan by a narrow margin of 1-0 on the road, Shandong Taishan achieved a record of 6 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses at the halfway point of the league, accumulating 25 points and standing firmly in the fifth place of the Chinese Super League table, and the dream of winning the championship has not yet been extinguished.
But the road ahead for Taishan is not smooth. In addition to the fierce competition in the Chinese Super League, they also have to deal with the double pressure of the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League, which poses a serious challenge to the team's training intensity and replacement depth.
Faced with the challenge of a three-front war, Taishan team did not slacken off due to the good results of the league. Even though some of the players were not able to travel with the team to Henan, they still maintained an intense state of preparation at Taishan Base in Jinan.
Recently, the club released photos of the players training hard at the base through social media. As you can see, although Zheng Zheng, Wang Tong and Cressan are unable to play due to injuries, they have already put in recovery training. We wish them a speedy recovery and a return to the Chinese Super League.
On the training ground, young players from the ladder team can be seen everywhere, such as Liu Guobao, Abdu Meisuli, Jia Feifan, Yin Jiaxi, Yang Ruiqi and Tasi. Among these players, Liu Guobao, Abdu Meisuli and Jia Feifan, who represented Taishan in the AFC Champions League last year and are regulars in the Olympic team, have the strength to play in the Chinese Super League. South Korean coach Choi Kang-hee is scouting these players and is expected to move them into the first team for the FA Cup and AFC Champions League during the summer transfer window.
With the opening of the Chinese Super League's summer transfer window, Taishan has been rumored to be linked with a number of local players and foreign aiders. However, as of now, the club has yet to announce the signing of new players. Given that the club's funds are relatively tight this year and the team's homegrown players are well equipped, Taishan may not bring in new reinforcements in the summer window. Therefore, the rumors about Hao Junmin's return to Shandong Taishan may just be the fans' wishful thinking.
In terms of foreign aid, Taishan plan to make reinforcements in the summer window. After Sun Junho's arrest, the club vacated a foreign aid spot. At the same time, Fellaini and Moises are old, physical problems can not be ignored, and old injuries are also at risk of recurrence. Therefore, Choi Kang-hee needs to take measures in advance.
The latest news shows that the new foreign aid introduced by Taishan team in the summer window has been locked, and he is the Brazilian high center Clovis. At the end of last month, Clovis and Portugal's Golden Boot team's contract was officially terminated, restored free agency, for him to join the Taishan team to clear the obstacles.
If nothing else, Clovis is expected to complete his signing with Taishan FC by the end of this month. The addition of the efficient foreign striker will add more strength to the Taishan team in the third line of play.
