Shanghai Seaport's dream of winning the Chinese Super League title is on shaky ground with the absence of big-name foreign players!

In the prologue of the 2014 season, Oasis Group took over the operation of Shenhua team; while at the end of the year, Shanghai Harbor Group completed a magnificent turnaround from sponsor to investor. Since the 2015 season, Harbour has taken the lead in derby battles. Li Yunqiu took a handball, and the use of VAR technology allowed the referee to revisit the case and ultimately ruled that Seaport had a penalty kick opportunity. ! [VAR technology application](https://www.ballti.com/UploadFiles/Sinaimg/202206/2022063014375992654611643.gif) Shenhua beat Seaport 2-0 in the first round of the league season, the team's first derby win since 1,662 days. Seaport came close to repeating the feat in a rematch three weeks later ...... Seaport could hardly have equalized in the final moments if it wasn't for the heroics of international goalkeeper Yan Junling - who pounced on a low one-touch shot from Bassogo in the second half - and, more crucially, blocked national teammate Zhu Chenjie's shot from the penalty spot, and then swiftly stepped up to keep out Zhou Junchen's follow-up shot. The gods of fate seemed to favor the harbor as well. Liu Ruofan, who won the penalty kick, headed the ball inside the penalty area, but unfortunately the ball smashed against the crossbar and bounced out, and Shenhua paid the price for it. Liu Ruofan's header hit the post after a pinpoint cross from Eddie. ! [Liu Ruofan's header on goal](https://www.ballti.com/UploadFiles/Sinaimg/202206/202206301438095789361643.gif) Towards the end of the game, Lee Yung Kau handballed in the penalty area, VAR came into play again and N'Diaye hit the spot kick to earn Seaport a crucial draw. Interestingly, Harbour's official pre-match poster purposely chose Yan Junling's photo, and sure enough, he was the best player of the match. Seaport head coach Leko also said after the match, "It was a very interesting game, with penalties, VAR and other factors ......1-1 we are satisfied with the score, and I have to say that Shenhua had the chance to kill the game, so I also have to thank Yan Junling, who was very good." The focus of the harbor poster is exactly Yan Junling. ! [Lecco post match interview](https://www.ballti.com/UploadFiles/Sinaimg/202206/202206301438128591581643.jpg) **Not much time left for Leko*** "Before the match we knew it was a tough match and a very difficult match, on a technical and tactical level it was one of the better matches we played. The final result is a bit regrettable, but two derbies I think we did the best we could." Shenhua boss Wu Jingui has reason to regret the result of the game, in fact, Shenhua's regret may only be the only flaw in this tournament, for the process of the game, the Shenhua team are lamenting: "did not think that the game in the vast majority of cases are in our control, if the finishing ability to be better, win the game should not be a problem." **Lecco may be responsible for the course of the game - he adopted the tactic of ball control coupled with an all-out counter-attack, leaving a large gap in the center of the field for Shenhua's good raiders, Basogo and Cao Yunding, to play on the counter-attack. Yan Junling preserved a point for Harbor. ** ! [Match Highlights](https://www.ballti.com/UploadFiles/Sinaimg/202206/202206301438131717371643.jpg) Due to the absence of Oscar and Muy, the harbor front lack of control and the ability to final strike, the entire first half, in addition to Feng Jin's long-distance shot outside the penalty area, the other shots are not a threat; on the contrary, the Shenhua counterattack to play in the wind, Cao Yunding, Bassogo and Zhu Jianrong have the opportunity to score. From the process of this season, Lecco's tactics are to adapt to changes - ** When the team has Oscar, Muy, the seaport can completely take the tactics of our own; but without the big name foreign aid, the seaport's existing personnel is not at all suitable for the tactics of the overall counter-attack, the competition did not lose, the seaport more or less some lucky. ** In addition to the technical and tactical, Lecco's selection of individual positional players was also a bit too programmed. Leko's command and formation is questionable. ! [Match highlights](https://www.ballti.com/UploadFiles/Sinaimg/202206/202206301438133278891643.jpg) In the second half against Guangzhou, he changed the formation to let Chen Chunxin play left wingback and switched Lv Wenjun to the right to limit Guangzhou's young Efirdin, but in the next match against Wuhan Sanzhen, Lecco followed the same pattern, and as a result, Chen Chunxin was completely caught up in the wind when he faced the pair of experienced international-level right-sided duo of Deng Hanwen and Xie Pengfei. The situation had to be 0-2, Lecco only choose to change, but at this time it is already too late ...... In Dalian, a relatively not very difficult division, the results of the seaport is not good, currently playing seven games only 10 points into the account, the first stage there are the last three games, the seaport to take Guangzhou and Hebei is not a big problem, but the last round and the three towns of the race is very critical. **Once they lose again, the probability is that they will be pulled away from Sanzhen by more than 10 points - this game is feared to be the real defense of Leko's position, leaving little time for the Belgian. **