As the saying goes, "a good general wins the world", and the importance of a team having such an intelligent and courageous general is self-evident.
In last season's league, Wuhan Three Town was like an unstoppable tiger, invincible, undefeated in 16 rounds of matches and intimidating to the opponents. However, we suffered a setback against the famous Cangzhou Lions.
Shandong Taishan, as the traditional giants in the league, can hardly ensure a sure win no matter who the opponent is. Last season, the title fight between Taishan and Sanzhen last season lasted throughout the season, so Taishan team did not dare to slacken off. Right at the end of the league, Taishan encountered Cangzhou Lions, but accidentally lost points and missed the chance to win the championship.
Why were the Cangzhou Lions able to be invincible, defeating Shandong Taishan and Wuhan Sanzhen in a row? There was nothing special about the tactics in the two matches. The only thing that can be said is that the team's big man, Jose Cante, was so strong that he beat the two favorites almost by himself.
Jose Kanter's stellar play was not limited to those two games. During his time with the Cangzhou Lions, Kanter scored 14 goals in just 16 games and provided several great assists, becoming the backbone of the team's offense and organization.
When the Cangzhou Lions signed José Canter, it wasn't with much hope. After all, there was nothing remarkable in his professional resume, so the team only gave him a six-month contract with a monthly salary of only 800,000 euros. However, José Canter's performance has been like a transformation, scoring goals and assisting brilliantly, not only becoming the absolute core of the team, but also becoming the object of the opponent's focus on defense.
Given José Canter's outstanding performance, a contract extension was naturally a top priority for the Cangzhou Lions. However, high wage demands and the team's financial pressures made renewal a difficult task, and in the end José Canter had to choose to leave.
At this point, other teams have seen the opportunity. The outstanding striker, despite being 32 years old, will have no problem playing another two or three seasons in the Chinese Super League due to his excellent athleticism and confrontation ability. Teams such as Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan, and Shanghai Port are all in need of such players and have the financial resources to do so. However, these teams have shown indifference to José Canter, preferring to trust their own vision rather than bring in a player who has already proved himself in the Chinese Super League.
It was at this point that Urawa Red Diamonds, a strong team in the J-League, extended an olive branch, inviting José Canter to join with great sincerity. With the Cangzhou Lions unable to renew their contract and other teams in the Chinese Super League indifferent, Josecante had no choice but to leave the J-League.
The J-League has a very different style from the Chinese Super League. In the Chinese Super League, foreign aiders occupy an important position, both in offense and defense. The performance of the foreign aid is directly related to the team's performance, and the tactical arrangement of the coach is also centered on the foreign aid. In the J-League, the manager pays more attention to the tactical layout, and the players are only a part of the tactical system, unlike the Chinese Super League, which is overly dependent on foreign aid.
In such an environment, foreigners are able to utilize their strengths more easily, whereas in the Chinese Super League, foreigners are under tremendous pressure. It is foreseeable that Jose Cante, who is invincible in the Chinese Super League, will be like a fish out of water and unleash even more power once he joins Urawa Red Diamonds. Luckily, there is no Urawa Red Diamonds in this year's AFC Champions League, otherwise the team would be a formidable foe in the Chinese Super League. Meanwhile, Jose Canter knows so much about the Chinese Super League, I wonder who among the Chinese Super League AFC teams can challenge for victory.
In the end, it has to be recognized that Jose Cante's departure is a huge loss for the CFL. Let's think deeply. Under the salary restriction policy and the general environment of Chinese soccer, what other quality foreigners can we attract? Players like Jose Canter have been a very rare cost-effective choice. Now that he has left, I wonder if the Chinese Super League giants will feel sorry for him.
