As the curtain falls on the third round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) AFC Cup, three Chinese Super League (CSL) powerhouses have unexpectedly crashed and burned, with Chengdu Rongcheng, Cangzhou Lions and Shenzhen going out of the competition. Among them, Chengdu Rongcheng and Shenzhen were unfortunately eliminated by the second division team, while Cangzhou Lions lost against the second division team. Given the FA Cup's rule that Chinese Super League teams are not allowed to use foreign players against second division teams, this rule has triggered a heated debate among Shenhua fans about the power gap between domestic players, which has become a hot topic of discussion.
On Friday night, the mood of Shenhua fans was like a roller coaster. On the road in Yunnan, Shenhua once fell behind Yukun and almost repeated the same mistake as the first game. Luckily, young player Fernando and veteran Han Chao were able to turn the situation around with their inexperienced opponents. However, when Shenhua equalized, the broadcast signal of the AFC Cup was accidentally interrupted, allowing viewers to miss the exciting moment when "Monkey" scored. This incident not only aroused the enthusiasm of the audience, but also exposed the problems of Chinese soccer in terms of soft power.
In the face of Shenhua's reversal, many fans criticized the team's performance, arguing that the strength of the Chinese Super League team should not be lower than that of the second division team, and that the victory should not be such a fluke. The fans' skepticism goes right to the heart of the matter: is it true that a Chinese Super League team without foreign aid can't beat a second division team? Can't Chinese players play when foreign aiders are on hiatus? These two seemingly absurd queries have played out over and over again for Chengdu Rongcheng and Shenzhen. Even the teams that passed customs had fought hard in the matches, but such scenarios are doubly worrying for the fighting power of the national soccer team.
Looking back to a few years ago, when the Chinese Super League was in its "Golden Dollar Era", many teams had luxurious foreign aid lineups, which not only added fun to the league, but also made Chinese players gradually develop the habit of relying on foreign aid. The style of play of Chinese Super League teams is often simple and straightforward: foreigners are responsible for attacking and scoring, while other players are responsible for defending and passing. After a few years of development, this "golden dollar wave" has receded, but the bad habits of the players are difficult to change in a short period of time. In various competitions, the national soccer team has long been in the state of "unable to return to the sky", the lack of creativity in the midfield, which is the legacy of their legacy. In addition, foreigners have long occupied the starting positions, and many young players lack the opportunity to play under conservative coaches. When they need to step up to the plate, they are often out of their depth. Due to a combination of factors, Chinese Super League teams like Shenhua and Chengdu have been pushed into a difficult situation by second division teams after the departure of their foreigners.
Cui Kangxi has led Shenhua to win the FA Cup and is now coaching in Shandong. He admits that Chinese players should learn to be the protagonists of the game, get rid of their dependence on foreign aid, and try to "master" foreign aid. In the past, we did this in the league and the cup. The domestic players of the old Shenhua team trained international student Varoja to be the team's top scorer through skillful coordination and passing. The old Guoan team had also excelled in the league with an all-Chinese squad. Although the national soccer team had broken the hearts of its fans, at least the basic skills of the international players were enough to easily beat most of their Asian opponents. Today, there is nothing but anger at the plight of Chinese soccer.
The elimination of two Chinese Super League (CSL) teams from the tournament means that a second division team will advance to the last eight of the F.A.C.A. Cup and become the opponent of either Shenhua or Zhejiang. On the surface, the winner of Shanghai and Zhejiang may advance to the semifinals, but judging from the third round, neither of the two Chinese Super League teams should be taken lightly. After all, Mr. Zhu Jun once asserted that "Chinese players are all at the same level", and this view is being confirmed time and time again. To change this situation, I am afraid that not a few outstanding coaches can solve the problem.
