Karanga has yet to make it to the starting lineup, and Coach Lee seems to favor him as a backup. His fitness and health are not yet up to standard, so he is not yet eligible to start. During the long break of the China A team, Coach Li Guoxu asked Karanga to train alone, expecting him to recover quickly to meet the criteria for starting. Currently, the front line, with Kotelnik and Karanga playing alongside each other, looks to be halfway to the top. However, the sky is the limit and one of them has suffered back-to-back setbacks. Mistakes by the outside backs at crucial moments seem to be the norm.
Karanga's next appearance is expected to be in the Sept. 15 showdown with Shijiazhuang Kung Fu. Dalian Yingbo currently has breathing room with 34 points, three ahead of third-placed Chongqing Tongliang Dragon. Aiming for a clean sweep in the next three games would be the best goal, while realistically, two wins, a draw and a loss would be within the acceptable range of results. The chasers are not strong, but it will be more difficult for Dalian Imbo to overtake them, but the initiative is still firmly in their hands. The burden of scoring the next goal will fall on the shoulders of rising star Zhu Pengyu, who is currently undergoing training with the U19 national team.
This year, due to the absence of foreign strikers, Dalian Yingbo's goals are relatively scattered. Fei Yu, Lv Zhuo Yi and Kotnik scored four goals each, Yan Xianggong and Yan Peng scored three goals each, while Wang Xuan Hong and Zhu Peng Yu scored two goals each, and no one scored more than five times, which weakened the influence of foreigners. Embalo and Kotelnik both suffered suspensions, but Dalian Yingbo's foreign aid lineup remained resilient. Coach Li Guoxu's tactical adjustments as well as his players' mentality will be put to the test in the next four matches. Dalian Yingbo has clearly defined the target to surpass, and hopefully this suspension will not affect the overall situation too much.
