In-depth report, the 29th round of the first division league was in full swing, and Kunshan's division turned back Zibo's soccer team with a 4-1 victory. With the victory, Kunshan has locked the seat of next season's Chinese Super League in five rounds ahead of schedule with 24 wins, 5 draws and 7 points. It is worth mentioning that, despite the success of the early qualification, Kunshan team did not celebrate the victory, the club intends to let the players regard this battle as an ordinary game, focusing on the larger goals.
Looking back at the 2020 season, Kunshan jumped from Form B to Form A and made a name for themselves in the Super Division. Although the team eventually stalled, it achieved the best result in the team's history. This was in line with the club's solid strategy, when the team stepped into the Central League from Form B, and the management was counting on the team to make steady progress.
Entering the 2021 season, Kunshan didn't make a leap in performance, only finishing 9th in the Central League, with 13 wins, 12 draws and 9 losses in 34 rounds of matches. This season, the team experienced a change of manager, the original coach Gao Yao left the post, and the Spanish coach Sarko took over the baton, who had played for Kunshan for two years before.
In the second half of the 2021 season, Sarko gradually familiarized himself with the team. In the 2022 season, Kunshan began to expand its lineup, bringing in a number of strong reinforcements, including Chinese Super League players Yu RuiRui and Li SongYi, who helped the team's defense line strength; on the offensive side, captain Kovic joined and quickly integrated into the team, becoming the team's key pivot point. In addition, the addition of Shenhua Zhao Mingjian and harbor Fu Huan, as well as the arrival of Delgado, have greatly enhanced the overall strength of the team.
The Kunshan team started the season well, opening the new season with a 3-0 victory in the first round of matches. However, in the first stage, the team unexpectedly dropped six points despite remaining undefeated in matches against teams such as Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic, Nantong Zhiyun and Shenyang City Construction. It is worth mentioning that the team has achieved 24 victories during this period.
The internal atmosphere of the team is harmonious. Although foreign aid Berto is absent due to injury, he gives warm care to his teammates in the locker room, such as sending hot water and ginger soup. Kovic also actively communicated with domestic players this season to promote team tacit understanding, which all stems from the full communication and trust between players.
Even though the team locked the Super League seat in advance, the team still kept a low profile, and the club's senior management asked the players before the match to regard the victory as unusual, and to keep a low profile and hard work. Because, the higher goal is still ahead.
As the tournament came to an end, the club's senior management recognized the team's achievements and thanked the Kunshan municipal government and related departments for their support and the players' efforts. Low-key and pragmatic, this is the spirit of the Kunshan team.
The Kunshan team is pursuing excellence and has three records to break in the future: the Chinese First Division points record, the goals scored record, and the winning streak record. Currently, the team has 77 points, just one step away from Wuhan Sanzhen's 79 points, 73 goals, trailing Chengdu Chengdu's 81 goals, and a winning streak of 13 matches. The next round of challenges to Jiangxi Beimen will determine whether the team can break the record.
