The 2023 Chinese Super League was very different from previous seasons, with many off-field disturbances seemingly becoming the invisible killers of the game. Taishan, a two-time champion, has encountered unprecedented challenges. First, several international players left the team for no reason and were unable to play for the whole season, which seemed to have ended the problem, but after the first round of the season, the head coach also mysteriously disappeared. What is more puzzling is that the players and coaches quit one after another, but Taishan club has always kept silent. Now, the team's performance has taken a sharp turn for the worse, but there has been no statement, not to mention no sign of rebound, in stark contrast to the performance of the past two seasons.
However, there is reason to believe that the Taishan team is not likely to slip away so easily. Although the glory of the "Double Champions" has been over for a year, they are still the champions of the 2022 FA Cup, and their strength should not be underestimated. During the winter transfer window, the champions' squad was not only retained, but also strengthened, which made fans look forward to the new season. But the huge gap between reality and expectation is hard to ignore.
More worryingly, Taishan's off-field losses are getting worse, especially at the player level. In the seventh round of pre-match training, there were numerous players absent again, including 24-year-old Guo Tianyu and 31-year-old foreign aid Sun Junho, whose absence caused widespread speculation. They were not injured and should not have been absent. According to informed sources, Guo Tianyu and Sun Junhao were taken away for investigation, which may be related to the head coach Hao Wei.
Looking back at Guo Tianyu's performance last season, the slump and the series of mistakes at key moments, even in the Xi'an game was bad and worrying. Whether or not Guo Tianyu can return will be directly related to the seriousness of the incident. Sun Junhao was taken away, which is even more shocking, and he became the first Chinese Super League (CSL) foreigner to be taken away from the game.
According to South Korean media, Son Jun-ho has been taken away for more than 24 hours and is currently cooperating with the investigation and is expected to be released on the 14th. As a player of the 2022 World Cup, Son Jun-ho enjoys a great reputation in South Korea and is a core member of South Korea's third-place Asian team. His sudden disappearance has caused widespread concern in the South Korean soccer community. The scope of this investigation is unprecedented. Currently, several players are absent without any reason and the starting lineup cannot be secured. If the team continues to slump, it is feared that Taishan FC will need to prepare for relegation, which will undoubtedly be a brand new challenge for the club's management.
