After Cui Kangxi took charge of the Shandong Taishan team, this season the team gained the second place in the Chinese Super League, the second place in the FA Cup, and emerged as the second place in the group in the AFC Champions League. Prior to this, Shandong fans would have been hard pressed to imagine such an achievement. Although Shandong Taishan failed to win the championship this season, fans and team management highly recognized Cui Kangxi's coaching. In the new season, Cui Kangxi will have more autonomy and the team will be transformed according to his vision.
In the face of the current trough of the Chinese Super League, the competition between teams depends largely on the strength of foreign aid. If a team can bring in a few strong foreign aiders, its performance is naturally worth looking forward to. However, in order to introduce quality foreign aid, the team's performance and financial strength in the Chinese Super League are key factors. In this regard, the Chinese Super League Shanghai Port is undoubtedly the best. Most of the domestic players have international level, and the strength of foreign aid is also not to be underestimated. Shandong Taishan lost against Shenhua in the Chinese Super League this season, and was unexpectedly defeated by Yokohama Mariners in the final round of the AFC Champions League group stage, exposing the gap between the teams.
With the departure of Fellaini and Moises, Shandong Taishan team quickly adjusted the foreign aid lineup, and Cui Kangxi's adjustments were swift and decisive. At present, the team has confirmed the introduction of two new foreign aid, Zeca and Kaza. These two people's offensive ability is very strong, is expected to enrich the Shandong Taishan team's offensive means. Coupled with the team's existing Cressan, the three will jointly constitute the team's new offensive trident. They are not only excellent technology, Zeca and Kressan also has the height advantage.
This trio is expected to solve the problem of Shandong Taishan's one-dimensional attacking model up front. Choi Kang-hee's favorite Baek Seung-ho failed to join the team, while Wakaso became a free agent, despite his age, his defensive ability and passing skills are still outstanding. Together with Jadson in the backline, Shandong Taishan will gather five foreign aiders, including Zeka, Kaza, Wakaso and Kressan, all of whom have the K sound in English, so they are called the "4K combination".
These five foreigners will be the main skeleton of the Shandong Taishan team next season. The frontcourt consists of Zeca, Cressan and Kaza, the midfield is Wakaso and the defender is Jadson. These five became the cornerstone of Shandong Taishan's team building. Despite Jadson's dip in form, it was not possible to replace the foreigners across the board given the team's limited budget. Pato, as the sixth foreigner, can stay in the team depending on Choi Kang-hee's decision. I expect Shandong Taishan to improve their overall strength by replacing their foreigners. What do you think?
