In the immediate scene, Chinese soccer has had its ups and downs. However, looking back at the 2022 season, the Chinese Super League has unexpectedly blossomed into a bright color. Especially in the World Cup qualifiers of the beacon, the Premier League after several storms can still maintain the heat, it is not easy.
How do you know? From the Wuhan Sports Center to the Phoenix Hill in Chengdu, the atmosphere was as suspenseful as a drama as the promoted teams fought for the title or relegation. 2022 Chinese Super League season, suspense is the only constant label. Until the last minute, the top three in the table are still in fierce competition.
Compared with last season's early lead of Shandong seaport and the early lockout of Guangzhou's dominance in 2019, the battle for the 2022 Chinese Super League title was unprecedentedly white-hot. Until the penultimate round, it was still a two-dragon showdown, with Wuhan Sanzhen beating defending champions Shandong Taishan on goal difference to become the 10th champion of China's top professional soccer league. Goal difference was the key to the championship, and the competition was fierce.
The title race was full of suspense and the relegation battle was equally long. Except for Hebei who accepted their fate early, Guangzhou Duo and Wuhan Changjiang fought almost until the last moment, and this cliffside dance finally came to an end. The sad fates of Guangzhou and Hebei caused sighs of relief both inside and outside the circle. But the fans are not fools, they are eager to reinvent the style of the Chinese Super League. For all that, someone is destined to cut their future short.
The suspense is good, but it doesn't mean that the overall technical and tactical level of the Chinese Super League has made a qualitative leap. However, under the tutelage of many Chinese and foreign coaches, the team's performance is still noteworthy. For example, at the end of the league, who is most deserving of the title of best coach? Pedro, the coach of the champion team? The passionate young coach Xie Hui? Or the technical flow representative Jordy? Or the hard-nosed coach Seo Jung-won? The rise of grassroots schools has become a trend. Who would have thought of Class 3 and Class 5 at the beginning of the season?
The rise of the nouveau riche has kept the Chinese Super League in suspense. In contrast, the Shanghai-Lujing quartet (Shenhua, Seaport, Taishan and Guoan) constitute a league of disappointment. At the beginning of the season, people were expecting a sequel to the Taishan Seaport rivalry drama, but it has lost its former elegance, and all the families have experienced tough times.
Port, owner Gu's interest in soccer is well known. However, in 2022, Port is high on investment and low on output despite being highly regarded in the transfer market. If the blame is just placed on Leko, I'm afraid it still raises a lot of questions. Crosstown brothers Shenhua, on the other hand, are in a dichotomy of ice and fire. For years, they have never been able to win the league. However, at the beginning of this season, Shenhua, which is in deep financial crisis, once rushed very high and even became the first team to score in Wuhan Sanzhen.
As for the poorly defended Shandong Taishan, the spell is still hard to break. Haojia army has been very close to puncture this windowpaper, but at the critical moment, the core of the foreign aid, national suspension, injuries and other factors, almost exhausted all the luck of the defending champion. Perhaps this is the main reason why Taishan lost the Vulcan Cup, but the deeper question is also in front of us: why Shandong Taishan has been difficult to win the title? Is it a psychological problem or a competition problem? Championship second year syndrome, this heart disease needs to be solved.
For Guoan, the 2022 Chinese Super League is a different kind of game. At the beginning of the season, it was thought that they would be "broken" like Shenzhen and Guangzhou. However, after the coaching change, Guoan has made great progress. Even if they play a few more rounds, they are still expected to reach the top four. People say this is the credit of Stanley, but we should also realize that in this old team, a kind of stubbornness is quietly breaking out. The biggest surprise Guoan has brought to the outside world is gradually getting rid of the dependence on foreign aid. When Adebenelo and Dabrow failed at times, it was discovered that, like Gao Tianyi and Wang Ziming, they could actually be punished at local time. Of course, Zhang Yuning was the most eye-catching star of all.In the 2022 season, he scored 19 goals and became a top-three overall scorer, even a new-era super.
By contrast, most of the Nationals' starters have been weak or collectively mired in injuries for almost the entire season. As for the newcomers, there are plenty of bright spots. If Liu Zhurun and Efirdin are already making a name for themselves in the national brand, newcomers such as Hu Huotao, Gao Tianyi and Ablikimu Abdulshalamu are more in line with the concept of a first-year freshman. In particular, Chengdu's Hu, who just turned 19, was working as a ball boy at the FA Cup final a year ago and was even ready to pack his bags and apply to university. However, they were almost decisive figures in the sub show at Phoenix Hill, influencing their own championship.
The Chinese Super League is still in turmoil, and there must be lords in turmoil.Where will the 2023 season lead? I'm afraid we'll have to face more difficulties and obstacles as it coincides with the Asian Games, Asian Cup, Olympic and World Qualifiers to revitalize the Chinese Super League.
Hopefully, the long overdue suspenseful clumping of 2022 will not be a flashback for the Super League.
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This article originally appeared on the Sports Plus app
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