In the Super Cup, the defending champions Harbour unfortunately met their Waterloo, and compared to Shenhua, they were obviously at a disadvantage in terms of grasping chances, so the defeat was expected. In the winter transfer window, Harbor signed Jeonbuk's striker Gustavo and Brazilian back Ruiza, and retained core players such as Oscar and Vargas, with the introduction of a fifth foreign aid also on the horizon. With the significant increase in the strength of the foreigners and the help of seven international players, the overall strength of the team is top in the Chinese Super League. Although the Super Cup loss may seem like a fluke, the league is long and with the guidance of champion coach Muscat, Seaport is still a strong contender for the title this season.
However, Seaport nearly flopped at the final hurdle last season, and they are determined to avoid repeating the same mistake this season by resolving the unstable factors in the team. Firstly, the form of the new foreigners is in doubt. Gustavo was injured after joining the team, whether he can recover in time is the key; Ruiza's first match was a red card, whether he can adapt to the Chinese Super League is also important. Secondly, Wu Lei's status is also worthy of concern, the Asian Cup and the Super Cup performance is poor, the 33-year-old veteran can maintain competitiveness, Muscat whether he dares to continue to use him, are doubtful.
Taishan are regarded as the favorites to win the Chinese Super League this season, which is closely related to their outstanding performance in the AFC Champions League. The feat of upsetting Kawasaki Striker to reach the last 8 was memorable and Taishan have found replacements for Fellaini and Moises in terms of reinforcements. Kazaishvili's ability to assist and cross with the back of his feet, which he showed in the AFC Champions League, has fans looking forward to his performances in the new season. Fernando's outburst and Wu Xinghan's return will be crucial for Taishan, especially Fernando, whose performance in the two AFC Champions League matches was enough to earn him a starting spot, and his rise will be good news for both Taishan and the national team.
But the biggest problem Taishan team is facing is the injury of new aid Zeca, the Brazilian ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and may have to rest for most of the year. Fortunately, Cressan is in good shape, and Pato is capable of playing as a substitute. If Taishan can remain competitive in the first half of the Chinese Super League, after replacing their foreign aid in the summer window, they can still hope to compete for the title in the second half of the season.
Shenhua and Guoan have also made targeted reinforcements this season. Shenhua after the change of manager, the introduction of Portuguese super scorer Andre Luiz and wingback Manafa, internal reinforcement of Gao Tianyi, Xie Pengfei and others, the strength of a significant increase. Guoan, on the other hand, has introduced center back Traore, becoming the only team in the Chinese Super League to play two foreign center backs in the new season, a move aimed at the loopholes in Guoan's defense in the past few seasons. Guga's joining carries a certain degree of uncertainty, but if he can bring surprises, the strength of Guoan should not be underestimated.
Chengdu, a team in the first group for two consecutive years, brought in 11 players in the winter window, a qualitative leap in the team's strength, with the addition of international soccer player Wei Shihao especially notable. Chengdu is expected to blow up a new storm of offense in the new season, but they need more substance to compete for the Super League title, and title spoiler seems to be their best position.
The relegation competition in the new season is also worth paying attention to. The new army of Shenzhen New Pengcheng and Qingdao West Coast, although a large number of reinforcements, but in order to become a dark horse is more difficult, their target positioning for relegation is more practical.
The messy situation of unpaid wages still exists, which poses a certain hidden danger to the development of Chinese soccer. Teams such as Cangzhou Lions and Nantong Zhiyun are in a worrying financial situation, which could lead to more problems if the issue is not resolved.
The new season referee's law enforcement scale is also of great concern, the CFA announced the new season of the Premier League's 46-person referee list, in which Manning, Fu Ming, Mai Mai Tijiang and other veterans are still in the list, while Shi Zhenlu and Wang Zhe is no longer serving as a Premier League referee due to overage.
