As night falls, on November 27th in the capital city, the East Asian Champions League is in full swing, and in the fifth round of the tournament, Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua is playing away against South Korea's K-League Gwangju Warriors. After a fierce battle, Shenhua 0: 1 first taste of defeat, this year's AFC Champions League tournament for two consecutive losses, ranking fell to the sixth East Asian region, the road to the promotion of a layer of fog.
This game is a severe test of Shenhua's technical and tactical level, but also exposed the team's lack of official matches for a long time and showed a variety of problems. After the match, Shenhua's manager Slutsky said in the press conference the reason for the team's loss.
Slutsky began by noting that Shenhua was significantly behind in the speed of offensive and defensive transitions against Gwangju, saying, "Watching the entire match, we noticed that the offensive and defensive transitions were sluggish and could not be synchronized with our opponents. Gwangju showed a faster tempo and stronger teamwork, making us look out of our depth on the pitch."
Slutsky's words revealed a deep reflection on the team's current situation. He emphasized that Shenhua's long absence from official matches has really affected the team's form. The rhythm of the players on the field is not as good as that of the opponents, and it is difficult for the starters and substitutes to quickly adapt to the rhythm of the game, which leads to the offense and defense being stiff and failing to play at the best level. Slutsky's words are undoubtedly the crux of Shenhua's defeat.
Talking about the team's performance, Slutsky confessed, "The players' movement and reaction speed were at odds with our opponents, which resulted in us being at a disadvantage in fighting for the ball, defending against our opponents' attacks and quick counter-attacks. In addition, inaccurate passing and receiving exacerbated our passivity."
Despite the loss, Slutsky did not lose confidence in his team. He emphasized that Shenhua players will be more clear about their deficiencies and the direction of improvement after this loss. Back home next week, we will again meet the challenge of the AFC Champions League. According to the schedule, Shenhua will face Ulsan HD, the last ranked team in the East Asia region, at home, and as long as Shenhua plays at their normal level, they have a great chance to win against Ulsan HD. May Shanghai Shenhua never let Chinese fans down again.
