Stepping into March, Shenhua successfully brought in four strong reinforcements in the winter transfer window: Luiz, Manafa, Xie Pengfei, and Gao Tianyi, with Xie Pengfei's transfer fee of 1.16 million euros, ranking as the king of the winter window bidding. Oriental Sports Daily mentioned in its report that Xie Pengfei will be able to enhance Hanchao's offensive advantage.
Louis: Strength and attitude go hand in hand.
Since his debut in the Super Bowl, Luis' performance has won the praise of many Chinese fans. He has conquered the public with his superb ability and better attitude. As a center forward, he always scores with headers despite his height of only 1.84 meters. In the Portuguese league, Luiz contributed 6 goals and 2 assists.
Observing Luis' highlights, it's not hard to find that his header goals are often accomplished when he's unmarked, which fully reflects his keen sense of smell in front of the goal. In the Super Bowl, Luis was the pivot point, precise in ball control and solid in defense, but passing is where he needs to improve at the moment. 29-year-old Luis, with an impressive professional attitude, still has a huge room for advancement.
Manafa: the model of the European style wingback.
Manafa is an authentic European wing back, and regardless of Slutsky's tactical system, Manafa has shown irreplaceable importance. In the match against Port, Shenhua relied heavily on defense, and Manafa's physical qualities gave his coach and teammates confidence in him, and Shenhua could therefore boldly put more troops on the left side.
In the second half of the season, Shenhua stepped up their offense, with Manafa making frequent appearances up front. According to the Euroleague Technical Statistics, Manafa has a balanced two-footed technique and his potential has yet to be fully unleashed. His bonding with his teammates is still ongoing, and there is more to look forward to in the future.
Xie Pengfei: Complementary strengths with Han Chao.
Xie Pengfei has yet to occupy a starting position at Shenhua, mostly playing as a substitute. In Slutsky's tactical system, he temporarily lagged behind his teammates' competition, but in just over 20 minutes of play, Xie Pengfei's performance was still satisfactory, and his execution of tactical deployment impressed the coach.
Xie Pengfei and Han Chao's technical and tactical styles do not conflict, the coach's tactical requirements will determine his role. Shenhua signed Xie Pengfei in the hope that he can contribute to the team, and at 31 years old, Xie Pengfei is in the prime of his career and has a bright future ahead of him.
From the first game of the new season, Xie Pengfei's performance has satisfied Slutsky. Facing different opponents, Shenhua will have the opportunity to play to Xie's strengths.
Gao Tianyi: Waiting for the right time to gain experience.
Gao Tianyi's position overlaps slightly with Xie Pengfei, and he can play at the 9 1/2 position. Gao Tianyi will be an alternative to Slutsky when Luiz needs a rest.
Teixeira and Luiz occupy the front position in each of the two positions that Gauteng specializes in, but with numerous games in a season, Gauteng needs to be patient and wait for his chance. Slutsky needs a wealth of tactical reserves and Gauteng is one of his choices.
