In the 8th round of the Chinese Super League on July 24, Shenzhen shook hands with Henan Songshan Longmen in a 0-0 draw. The statistics show that Shenzhen had 65% of the ball in their possession, but only 3 shots on goal, with zero shots on target. Similarly, Henan had only one shot on target, and in the third game after the restart of the league (and the fourth for Henan), both teams suffered from physical limitations. Shenzhen's head coach Carlos said bluntly that the frequent fixtures and high temperatures had exhausted the players and their physical limits had been touched.
The match was held in Guangzhou Galaxy Stadium, and under the initiative of Shenzhen Football, players, coaches and referees from both sides wore public welfare theme jerseys printed with the words "Henan Ping An" to cheer for the people in the disaster-stricken areas of Henan.
To cope with the intensive schedule, Coach Carlos continued to rotate his lineup with Jiang Zhipeng, Zheng Dalun, and Praliganji starting. Achimpen, who was scheduled to rotate, came on as a substitute due to Caldecott's pre-match discomfort. Despite the changes in the lineup, the team still had difficulty working together in the hot weather, with very few shots on goal, and Shenzhen's offense was repeatedly sabotaged. In the 67th minute, Dai Weijun's long-distance shot nearly broke the deadlock, but in the end the two sides drew 0-0.
It was the third game after the restart of the Shamrock League, and the players fought hard and were in near physical shape.
During the game, Caldecott suffered an adverse muscle reaction towards the end of the warm-up and Shamrocks pulled him out of the starting line-up for insurance reasons. Carlos said that despite being prepared for the game, Achimpen also had problems in the second half.
The frequent three-day matches have violated the rules of scientific training and competition, and will be a challenge for the Shenzhen team as well as other teams. Carlos believes that the players have reached their limits, revealing that three personnel changes were made in the starting lineup.
The next matches will be the moment to test every team. Teams with deep bench strength, such as Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou, Shanghai Hong Kong and Shenhua, can easily cope with the intensive schedule. Coach Carlos, who is committed to optimizing player rotation and stimulating players' potential after his inauguration, said that both starters and substitutes are crucial.
Looking at SZF's roster, the team's rotations are provided by such domestic names as Wang Yongper and Sun Ke, experienced players such as Li Yuanyi, Dai Weijun, and Xu Haofeng, and juniors such as Chen Xiangyu, Zhou Xin, Chen Guoliang, and Huang Ruifeng. In the back line, midfield and attacking line, SZF has a wealth of lineup options. Next, how to carry out effective lineup rotation and matching will be the key to determine the team's trend this year.
