On April 16th, Shandong Taishan will kick off its new season in a new location. 11th, Taishan officially announced that it has welcomed 7 new partners, and the strength of the team has been greatly strengthened. 2023, Taishan will face the challenge of "three fronts to start the war". This talented and young veteran team will be able to create a whirlwind of youth on its 30th birthday.
The Three Fronts of War
Lineup Rotation Test
In the new season, the league has fully resumed the home-and-away system. The Chinese Super League fixtures appear to be more relaxed compared to previous seasons. However, considering the AFC Cup and the AFC Champions League in the second half of the year, the pressure on the team is still not to be underestimated. Taishan will need to quickly adapt to the rhythm of switching between home and away matches.
The new season of the Chinese Super League schedule in the national football training, the Asian Championship and other factors to consider, showing a "tight before and after the loose" trend. The importance of the three fronts is self-evident, and the Chinese Super League naturally occupies the first place. Only if Taishan plays well in the first half of the season will they be able to compete in the knockout rounds of the AFC Cup and the AFC Champions League.
The three-line battle puts the team's bench depth to the test. In the winter transfer window, Taishan team actively attracted reinforcements, Tong Lei, Sun Guowen, Li Yuanyi, Fernando, Huang Zhengyu, Hu Jinghang, Liu Shibo and so on to join, the team's strength in a number of positions have been improved.
However, the new recruits still need to integrate with the team. Fortunately, Taishan has sufficient staffing in many fronts, and healthy competition will prompt players to adapt quickly. The Year of the Rising
Can the youth storm hit?
At the beginning of the season, Taishan team established two major goals: one is to expand the depth of the lineup, for the third line of combat reserve talent; the second is to speed up the process of rejuvenation, to lay the foundation for the club's long-term development.
Last season, the average age of Taishan's main players was about 30 years old, which can be regarded as the "senior" team in the Chinese Super League. In recent years, the failure of youth training to deliver outstanding players to the first team has become a major pitfall in the team's development.
In order to solve the age structure problem, the club has prioritized the introduction of young players. Tong Lei, Huang Zhengyu, Hu Jinghang, Liu Shibo and other "after 97" players to join, as well as Sun Guowen and Li Yuanyi additions, will optimize the age structure of the team. Taishan team is expected to set off a youthful storm in the "founding years". At the same time, Guo Tianyu, after the adjustment in the off-season, is expected to lead the team in a better condition.
However, there are still hidden problems in the age structure of the team. Compared with the domestic young players, the average age of Taishan foreign aid is on the high side. 35-year-old Moises can continue to "model" character, 36-year-old Fellaini can continue to serve as a "siege hammer"? These issues are yet to be tested in practice.
There are so many powerful people out there.
Championship battle heats up
Last season, the battle for the Chinese Super League title was mainly between Wuhan Sanzhen and Taishan. The two teams ended up with the same 78 points, 13 points ahead of Zhejiang's third place. In the new season, with the rise of a number of strong teams, the title race will be even more white-hot.
In the new season, Wuhan Sanzhen introduced five domestic players such as Wei Shihao and Yan Dinghao, as well as new foreign aid Malcolm, which further improved the strength of the team. Undoubtedly, Sanzhen is still a strong contender to win the championship.
In addition, the return of two traditional Chinese Super League powerhouses, Guoan and Shenhua, will also affect the ranking of the upstream teams. With Guoan bringing in eight new players and the return of Li Ke, and Shenhua announcing the addition of Zhang Wei, Cui Lin and Bao Yaxiong, the competitiveness of the two teams is set to increase dramatically.
Although Shanghai Seaport did not make any major changes in the winter transfer window, the strength of the team has been improved from the second half of last season. With the addition of strong reinforcements such as Wu Lei and Vargas, Seaport is expected to hit the top three of the league in the new season.
Facing a new season surrounded by strong enemies, Taishan team needs to meet the challenges with a new look. In every game, we have to go all out, dare to fight, dare to struggle.
