In the late afternoon of January 4, the 2021 season of soccer feast - the Chinese Super League drew to a close. It was the culmination of the concerted efforts of all parties that this season of the Chinese Super League was able to finish amidst all the difficulties. Shandong Taishan won the title, Shanghai Harbor and Guangzhou won the second and third places, while Dalian Ren and Qingdao will embark on the relegation playoffs, and Changchun Yatai's Junior won the top scorer. Although it was a challenging season, there was still a glimmer of hope at the end.
Mount Tai summit, Xinhua frames the moment
An ill-fated Super League season
The 2021 Premier League season can be described as fragmented. Under the epidemic raid, the 2020 season ended with a tournament system and knockout rounds; in 2021, the Chinese Super League schedule was originally scheduled for a home-and-away system, but with the national football team advancing to the World Preliminary 12, to make time for the national football team to prepare for the war, the Chinese Super League schedule was adjusted on July 5 - after the first stage of the grouping of the double round-robin, the title contenders and relegation group of eight teams each Double round-robin competition, and ultimately to 22 rounds of points to determine the winner.
The sudden change in the schedule to reduce and tighten the degree of staggering. The first phase of the latter nine rounds of the league in the heat of the summer intensively, the national football players to prepare for the 12th round of the tournament during the three months without the Chinese Super League tournament; December 12 to January 4, the second phase of the tournament is again intensive, so that the teams are suffering.
The national football team did not perform well in the 12 strong tournament, and the Chinese Super League also ended hastily in pieces. The sacrifices that seemed to make way for the national football team do not seem to have been fully utilized.
Several clubs are facing an existential crisis
The existential crisis for a number of clubs is even more dire than the fixture blight.
Some clubs were forced to disband before the start of the season, while many more chose to persevere. Guangzhou, which kept a full squad in the first phase, suffered the effects of its parent company and was on the verge of disbanding, but led by Zheng Zhi, relied on young players to complete the second phase of the tournament, with many players still facing unpaid wages.
At the end of the season, Guangzhou player Liao Lixiang said, "The team is facing great difficulties and is full of confusion about the future, but what we want to do most is to cherish every minute and enjoy the last game with our teammates." The Guangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau said that it will actively introduce state-owned enterprises with strength and sentiment to promote the club's equity diversification reform and lay a solid foundation for the future of Guangzhou's professional soccer.
Hebei's players and staff are willing to give up their salaries for the team's equity reform, while Chongqing is expected to make progress in the equity reform process after its relegation success, but the team's future is still in doubt. Qingdao's business situation is worrying, locking up the bottom of the season, the team's future is not optimistic.
Champion guides the way, third-place finisher looks to the future
Shandong Taishan won the title, becoming the fifth time in team history to win the top league; Shanghai Harbor was second, Guangzhou third, and Changchun Yatai fourth as a promoted team.
On the scorer's list, Changchun Yatai's Junior led the way with 14 goals, Ackerson and Caldecott tied for second with 11, and local scorers Guo Tianyu and Zhang Yuning tied for fourth with Fellaini. On the assist list, Shanghai Harbour's Oscar led the way with 11 assists, while Shenzhen's Jintero tied for third with Guangzhou's Yan Dinghao and Shandong Taishan's Sun Junhao.
Shandong Taishan's win provides a "survival guide" for the future development of Chinese Super League clubs. The team has invested heavily in youth training over the years, and with the emergence of talent, it has been able to maintain rational management and stable internal development regardless of changes in the external environment. If more clubs are like Taishan, the recovery of the Chinese Super League is expected in the near future.
Guangzhou's third-place finish in a difficult situation emphasized the importance of young players, who demonstrated the "future possibilities" of local players. Under the "All Chinese Class" tactic, the team's offense and defense were stable, and some players have emerged, with the performance of youngsters such as Ling Jie and Tan Kaiyuan generating a lot of buzz. This may be seen as a bright spot in a difficult Chinese Super League season.
The league season is still in doubt, with the winners of the Super League playoffs between Dalian Ren and Chengdu Rongcheng, and Qingdao and Zhejiang joining the Chinese Super League next season. Wuhan Sanzhen and Meizhou Hakka have succeeded in the Super League and will compete in the 2022 Super League with a total of 18 teams, including 14 teams in the Chinese Super League and the winners of the Super League playoffs.
