May 3, Beijing time zone, Shanghai Shenhua is facing the restriction of not being able to attract new reinforcements for the new season due to FIFA's punishment. Veteran soccer commentator Song Chengliang took to social media to provide insight into Shenhua's current situation.
Song Seung-ryong's full analysis on his personal social media is below:
Although the exact start date of the new Chinese Super League season is not yet clear, the discussion of the league is gradually heating up along with the clarification of the relegation rules and the end of the transfer window. Today, I couldn't help but laugh when a media outlet mentioned that Shenhua is at risk of relegation due to the transfer ban. Now, let me sort out Shenhua's transfer ban and team personnel utilization strategy for this year -
1. In the first media open day after the Winter Olympics, Shenhua announced that they will play with a full Chinese team and abandon the use of foreign aid, which is the first time I have heard of Shenhua's full Chinese team.
2. I immediately expressed on Twitter that it was difficult to understand, because the clubs are not routinely built in this way. Against the backdrop of frequent economic crises, even Guangzhou and Hebei have not completely abandoned foreign aid. Even if Greenland is experiencing difficulties, it should try to build a normal lineup.
3. My guess is that it may be that this year's budget is so limited that it can only afford to pay the salaries of local players and cannot afford to pay for foreign aid.
4. We need to understand that the determination of the three direct drop places in this year's Chinese Super League has been known to the clubs for a long time, and it was only recently announced by the CFA that Shenhua's decision to opt for an all Chinese team despite the three direct drop places was known.
5. At the media open day announcing the full Chinese class, Shenhua probably did not anticipate that the FIFA penalty would be so swift, or else it would not have terminated the contract with player Dahei in the early stage, who originally had at least one year's worth of contract left. But Shenhua actually also left a backhand, for example, Basogo did not terminate the contract, so after the FIFA ban, Shenhua quickly recalled him.
6. Along this line of thought, we may be able to conclude that Shenhua plans to play with a full Chinese class in the first phase, and as for the second half of the year, if the situation is unfavorable, it is not too late to invest in foreign aid. Greenland has invested a lot in the summer window over the years, such as Deng Baba in 2015 and Sharawi and Jin Xinyu in 2019.
7. So, is Shenhua really in danger this year even without foreigners or with only Basogo? I don't think so. At least in terms of group strength, Greenland is better than Evergrande and Huaxia Happiness; in terms of team strength, Shenhua is also better than Guangzhou and Hebei. Keep in mind that Chongqing is not in a good situation either, and they have a limited number of players. I don't believe Shenhua can't compare to these three teams.
8. There are other teams competing with Shenhua, such as Guangzhou City, Zhejiang, and Tianjin Teda, etc. There is no need to be overly worried as Shenhua's strength on paper is at least 10-12th. Wu Jingui, the head coach, is also quite experienced in relegation for many years, and the lower limit of the team under his leadership won't be too low.
9. Of course, I still want to emphasize the viewpoint I expressed on Weibo, and I don't think Shenhua's goal this year is just relegation. As a veteran club with heritage, it should still maintain a certain tone. Take Guoan as an example, even though Guoan has had delinquency problems since 2020 and Zhonghe's situation is average, they still got their foreign aid together this year, which is an attitude!
10. Going back to point 2, I still do not agree that Shenhua should have no foreign aid this year. This year's strategy should be based on five or six young players, with three or four foreigners and three veterans, so that the team can still hit the league ranking it deserves. Greenland has been mediocre in the league for years and should still be pursuing something.
11. Ideals are rich, but reality is hard. Well, let's get back to reality. Even in this situation, I still think there are a significant number of veterans on the team who are no longer relevant, at least three or four. I can't name them so as not to get myself in trouble. Even if you give them a paycheck, you have to be determined to keep them out of the game. Wu Ma used to emphasize temperature, but now that we can't even afford to use foreign aid, what's the point of talking about temperature? It's fine if you want to stay, but playing soccer is out of the question, and they should even be put into the reserve team directly, even though there is no reserve league now either.
12. After Shenhua was relegated to the relegation bracket last year, the official Weibo comment section became a massive cartwheeling scene. You've got to do something, right? At least satisfy the fans who support you. How can you win back the hearts of the fans if you continue to use veterans who don't contribute to the team?
13. Going back to the FIFA lawsuit itself, we don't have to dwell on whether we can still use foreign aid in the summer window, but the lawsuit and the money owed have to be resolved, or else FIFA may impose further penalties, including demerit points and disqualification from registration. Guizhou is a precedent, so Shenhua needs to find a suitable solution within a certain period of time.
