The new round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) has been rekindled, and through the matches we can get a keen insight into the strengths of the various teams in comparison. Despite the seemingly small margins of victory and defeat, there is a huge gap between the teams. Shanghai is undoubtedly the favorite to win the title, followed closely by Shenhua and Rongcheng. The Taishan team is slightly better than the Zhejiang team, but it is difficult to compete with the former powerhouses. Perhaps some of the skepticism stems from Taishan's excellent performance in the AFC Champions League?
Do you perceive a unique advantage of the Shanghai team? That's its foreigner lineup. Their passes are so consistent that the strikers have a lot of chances to score, which is not the case with other Chinese Super League teams.
Frankly speaking, the problem at the moment is that Shanghai's team is undoubtedly the presence of the top midfield configuration in the Chinese Super League, without equal. Oscar's passing consistency has improved significantly, creating numerous scoring opportunities for the team. In addition, the team has a rare combination of national team defenders in the Chinese Super League, with almost every player at the national team level, unrivaled.
Needless to say, this team is at the top level of Asia and boasts world-class star Wu Lei. If you think differently, he started and scored for Barcelona. The team seems to be flawless, the coaching team is pragmatic and advanced, and the opponents find it hard to find a breakthrough.
As for Shenhua and Rongcheng, their strengths are equally obvious, and they can hardly find any obvious shortcomings, only that the teams may need some time to gel, and they are slightly lacking in comparison with Shanghai Hong Kong.
Rongcheng and Shenhua are equally difficult to identify obvious flaws, with international players on the bench. However, both teams are not as well-groomed as Shanghai, which is largely attributed to the high number of newcomers. Nevertheless, both teams are unrivaled in the Chinese Super League in terms of player allocation, with just the right age structure.
Compared to Shanghai, these two teams have the advantage of having more young players, all of them internationals, but are slightly weaker in the midfield. If Shanghai has Oscar, I'm afraid no one in the Chinese Super League will be able to beat them.
It makes sense for Taishan to finish fourth or fifth. Granted, their performance in the AFC Champions League made everyone think they deserved to win the title, but the league is a long journey and the 30 rounds of fixtures have only just begun.
With 30 rounds in the league, Taishan's advantage is not as obvious as in the AFC Champions League. If it was changed to a cup match, the advantage would be obvious. However, Taishan's loss of foreigners and decline in header ability has definitely brought some impact to the team. Currently, the team lacks Zeca, and the strength of the midfield is obviously damaged.
The team's tactics are unlikely to change in the short term, and it is not known how they will cope with the opposing team's intensive defense. However, their performance in the cup matches is worth expecting. Unless new players are brought in during the summer, I am afraid this problem will be difficult to solve. This is one of the reasons why we don't see them winning the league. Without the aura of AFC Champions League, they are no different from the Chinese Super League teams.
