On October 14th, Shanghai Morning Post disclosed that Shanghai Shenhua will restart the assembly at Kangqiao base to build up their strength for the upcoming Chinese Super League (CSL) and Football Association Cup (F.A.C. Cup) matches.
Reports revealed that after the match against Shenzhen, Shenhua's main lineup returned to Shanghai the next day, while some players and staff took a vacation to other countries. The coaching team gave the players a four-day break, and today's assembly marks the team's last mini vacation of the year. Under normal circumstances, there will be no break in the next two months or so.
The epidemic and other factors have prevented the Chinese Super League from wrapping up the season as originally planned. Nonetheless, Chinese Super League officials are still striving to complete the remaining 14 rounds by the end of December. With the arrival of November and December, the cold climate in the north makes it difficult to play outdoor soccer matches and the risk of player injuries rises. It is reported that teams such as Shenhua and Harbour are planning to move their home stadiums south to Foshan, Guangdong Province, but it is unlikely that Shenhua's home stadium will be moved south. At present, Shenhua is still on schedule to prepare for the preparation of the off-site home field Dalian Jinzhou Stadium, is expected to fly to Dalian on October 23, October 25 to face Guangzhou City, October 29 against Cangzhou Lions.
The expanded Chinese Super League has a total of 34 rounds, 20 of which have been completed so far. If restarted on October 25, to complete the season by the end of December, the Super League teams will need to complete 14 rounds of league matches and at least one AFC Cup match in more than 60 days, which means that the next two months will be practicing the regularity of a week of double matches.
Therefore, the training at the Kangqiao base is crucial for Shenhua, and the team must reserve their fitness for the next intensive fixtures. In addition, injured players such as Cao Yunding will also use this time to undergo rehabilitation to ensure that the team has sufficient squad rotation in the intensive schedule. Head coach Wu Jingui said: "We have scored 40 points in 20 matches, an average of 2 points per match, which is basically even more than expected, which is the result of the team's efforts. Next, we still need to work together and strengthen our physical training."
