In the beacon years of 2018, Liu Shibo returned to the Evergrande camp but never really established himself. However, with last season's Guangzhou goalkeeper Liu Dianzha moving to Wuhan Sanzhen, Liu Shibo has finally seen the light of day as a starter for the team.
Last season, Liu Shibo played 21 games in the Chinese Super League as Guangzhou's starting goalkeeper, five of which were against open goals. While his performance was passable, there were few highlights.
However, Liu Shibo's career is not all plain sailing. Back in 2016, he was selected for the Chinese national youth team with outstanding performance. Thanks to his good physical condition, he was even called up to the national team this year by former national team head coach Gao Hongbo.
Not only that, Liu Shibo also frequently appears in the training list of the U23 national team and the Olympic team. Perhaps it was these past national team experiences that paved the way for him to join Taishan.
The addition of Liu Shibo seems to signal the departure of Wang Dalei, Taishan's starting goalkeeper last season. Recently, Wang Dalei was rumored to be on the verge of returning to Shanghai Shenhua.
If Wang Dalei really leaves the team next season, Han Rongze will replace him as the new No.1 goalkeeper of Taishan. Given Li Guanxi's lack of performance in matches, it is difficult for him to be the team's No.2 goalkeeper. Therefore, the arrival of Liu Shibo is expected to compete with Li Guanxi and become a strong replacement for Han Rongze.
In the 2023 season, Taishan will compete on three fronts, namely the Chinese Super League, the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League, and the opportunities for first-team players to play will be more abundant. If Liu Shibo can show his strength in training, he is expected to represent Taishan in the AFC Champions League in the near future.
