On March 1, 2024, Shanghai Shenhua signed four new players in the winter transfer window, namely Luiz, Manafa, Xie Pengfei and Gao Tianyi. Among them, Xie Pengfei became the king of the winter transfer market with a transfer fee of 1.16 million euros. Oriental Sports Daily commented that Xie Pengfei's arrival will make up for Han Chao's vacancy in the team.
Luis: Power and Attitude go hand in hand
In his Super Cup debut, Luiz's performance won the praise of many Chinese fans. The center forward not only has outstanding skills, but is also known for his good attitude. Despite being only 1.84 meters tall, he is good at scoring with headers. At his Portuguese club, he has already contributed 6 goals and 2 assists this season.
A look at Luis' goal highlights will show that his headers are often done unmarked, showing his keen sense of vision in front of the goal. In the Super Bowl, Luis was clearly effective as a pivot, with good ball control and few mistakes. At the moment, his passing skills need to be improved, but his professional attitude and efforts are commendable. 29 years old, Luis still has a lot of room for his rise.
Manafa: modern European style wingback
Manafa, as a pure European wing-back, is capable of playing in whatever tactical system the coach develops. In the match against Port, Shenhua played defense, and Manafa's physical qualities were fully reflected. He took on the defensive burden on the right side and won the trust of the coach and his teammates, which allowed Shenhua to be bolder in putting in troops on the left side.
In the second half of the season, Shenhua increased their attacking efforts, and Manafa's figure also appeared more and more in the front field. Technical statistics from the Euroleague show that Manafa's left and right foot skills are balanced, and his potential is huge, and Shenhua's exploitation of his value is far from reaching its limit. The tacit understanding between him and his teammates is still improving, and there is still more room to look forward to in the future.
Xie Pengfei: Complementary strengths with Han Chao
Although Xie Pengfei has yet to become an absolute starter at Shenhua, he has still shown satisfactory performance in his limited playing time as Han Chao's replacement. He is temporarily behind the competition of his teammates in Slutsky's tactical system, but his performance in the game has won the coach's recognition.
In terms of technical style, Xie Pengfei is not in conflict with Han Chao, depending on the coach's tactical arrangement. Shenhua signed Xie Pengfei in the hope that he can help the team, and at 31 years old, he is in the prime of his career and has a bright future ahead of him. In the first game of the new season, Xie Pengfei impressed Slutsky with his performance. Shenhua will face more challenges in the upcoming Chinese Super League, and Xie's strengths will be utilized in more matches.
Gao Tianyi: Waiting for the right moment
Gao Tianyi's position overlaps slightly with Xie Pengfei, and he can play in the 9 1/2 position. When Luiz needs to be rested, Slutsky will put Gao Tianyi on the pitch. Before Teixeira and Luiz, Gao Tianyi still has a chance to show his strength. Slutsky needs to prepare multiple tactics to deal with different opponents, and Gao Tianyi will be one of the options.
