As the Chinese Super League enters the second half of the season, Henan's performance has been slightly flat, experiencing the pain of multiple lineup changes and tactical adjustments. In the upcoming key matchup, the team is in dire need of a breakthrough to get out of the trough of the tactical fumbling period and move towards an upward path.
The first two rounds of consecutive one-goal losses, Henan team and coach Javier are under tremendous pressure. The team's problems in both offense and defense are becoming more and more obvious, and it's becoming more and more difficult to achieve the goal of keeping the sixth and fighting for the fourth. Facing Wuhan Sanzhen, who has been at the top of the table for a long time, the pre-match general opinion is not optimistic that Henan will be able to win on the road.
However, Henan team showed a stronger form after the game started. Javier decided to send out the "double-card" combination, while strengthening the defense against the powerful attacking line of the three towns. The midfielders Pina and Adrian teamed up to control the pace of the game, while Karanga played a key role in the offense. In the face of a strong opponent, Javier simplified its style of play, using Karanga's individual ability to break through the opponent's defense, and gave a solid performance on the offensive end.
Although Sanjin broke the deadlock with a free kick, Henan's overall defensive performance was not bad and the opponent's offense was limited. Henan created many chances through the mistakes of the opponent's backline, and Karanga's individual strengths were evident in the game. However, the offense failed to score due to offside penalties and goalposts, until 73 minutes, when Wang Shangyuan's precise pass led to Zhong Yi's header to equalize the score. Yang Shuai then added another goal when Wang Shangyuan's ribbed pass found Carrillo, who sealed the 3-1 win.
After this round of victory, Henan team harvested three points, three towns arch the top position to Shandong Taishan. This victory relieved the pressure for the team, but to go farther, we still need to summarize the experience and rationally face the future challenges.
Prior to the consecutive losses, Henan had slipped down the table. Since the second phase of the Chinese Super League, Henan's form has fluctuated, winning only eight games. in early November, the team once again played against Meizhou Hakka, but lost again, the team's problems focused on the outbreak of worries that another loss to Meizhou Hakka, the team will once again fall into the doldrums.
Compared with the first stage, the second stage encountered greater difficulties in personnel utilization. In the first match against Meizhou Hakka, Henan played one less player due to the red card, and the problem of defense became more prominent. In the match against Wuhan Changjiang, the team was down by two goals at one point, and the problems on the defensive end were further exposed. The conflict between Dorado and Maning exacerbated the team's woes.
In order to fill the vacancy of Dorado, the club brought in Spanish striker Carrillo. The topic about Carrillo's suitability for Henan Songshan Dragons became a hot topic during this time.
So far this season, Henan has gone through two major personnel changes. Firstly, Toure left the team, and the newly introduced Zhao Hongliu and the main U23 player in the first phase, Niu Ziyi, were injured. Fortunately, Haikou became a blessing for the team, and the individual abilities of the frontcourt players matched the team's ambitions to achieve excellent results in the first phase.
As we entered the second phase, the team as a whole was having problems gelling. "Bonding" meant that the existing personnel team could not match the technical and tactical system that Javier was trying to build, and the results were not as good as they could have been.
In order to be a team centered on passing and control, it needs to be supported at the personnel level. A chronic lack of stability at wingback and constant injuries and suspensions on the backline have left the defensive end of the field unprotected. Javier has tried to use the "two-card" combination on the offensive side of the ball many times, but the results have been mediocre. Not only is it difficult to open up the offense, but the problems on the defensive side of the ball are also very obvious, as reflected in the passing game.
Indeed, Carrillo's individual ability is impeccable. Physical confrontation and feel for the ball are excellent, and the post-game stats prove his worth. However, his chemistry with Karanga and other players was poor. Bringing in Carrillo, Javier made the decision based on the target tactical system. However, in terms of Henan's current overall staffing, Carrillo's role is still difficult to play with pre-determined effect.
Carrillo has a very different style than the former Dorado. While Dorado could solve the goal scoring problem alone, Carrillo was more focused on working with his teammates. However, with his teammates' inconsistent form and constant adjustments, Carrillo could only rely on luck to score goals. Carrillo's chances came when the style of play became simple and the ball was passed directly to him, as in the game against Wuhan Sanzhen, where Wang Shangyuan gave him a precise pass that Carrillo capitalized on. Such passes were not often seen in previous matches.
It was not by chance that Henan won the match against Tri-Town. The team prepared well for it, identified the weaknesses of their opponents and found their breakthroughs more clearly, which will be needed most in the coming matches.
Of course, in addition to techniques and tactics, it is more important for the team to have the temperament of being able to fight hard. In the past, Henan team often won in various unfavorable situations. It was not easy for any team to beat Henan, but it seems that for a while, Henan lost this unconquerable temperament. At the same time, when the team is in the trough, the team is easy to be anxious and difficult to control the situation.
In fact, Henan's slump in the second stage was somewhat similar to that of Changchun Yatai this season. Both Henan and Changchun Yatai were in the Haikou Region in the first stage, with Henan achieving excellent results, while Changchun Yatai only beat then Chinese class Guangzhou City. Last season, Changchun Yatai was a dark horse that managed to advance and become the biggest dark horse in the Chinese Super League. However, in the first stage of the season, Yatai had a weak offense, unstable defense and ranked poorly.
Ateneo coach Chen Yang emphasized that after the team's outstanding performance last season, this year's technical and tactical improvements in the pursuit of more ball control are bound to go through a difficult period. Chen Yang's pursuit is roughly the same as Javier's. The key is what attitude the coach and the team as a whole will take when going through a difficult period. Obviously, Chen Yang and his team are much calmer.
After the second match of the season against Meizhou Hakka, in which Henan was eventually reversed, Javier could not hide his anger and fell down when he returned to the locker room after the match. It's uncomfortable to lose, especially when it's the first double of the season, or with a two-goal lead.
Many emotions can spread through the team. During the strong early stages of the season, all the players were quite confident, well executed and optimistic. Regardless of whether the situation on the field is dominant or not, they are confident that their team will eventually achieve the desired results. When they encountered a period of frustration, some players were impatient and lacked confidence, their teammates were affected and "infected", their actions were out of control, some players kept winning, and Henan lost points many times in front of the bottom-ranked teams. In this case, the team needs to have a clear understanding that facing this trough is something that must be experienced in the process of tactical upgrading. Coaches and managers also need to step up their intervention and management.
Henan is working towards the season goal of keeping six and fighting for four.
