On April 8, the Super Cup started again after three years of silence. As the previous AFC Cup winners, Shandong Taishan failed to win their first title in 2023, losing 0-2 to Chinese Super League champions Wuhan Sanzhen in a fierce battle. Although the defeat was not regrettable, it exposed the gap between Taishan and Wuhan Sanzhen in terms of technical and tactical layout, staffing and players' individual form, signaling that the new season will be full of hardships and challenges.
Nonetheless, Taishan put a lot of effort into their preparation for the Super Bowl. In the absence of core player Cressan, the team decisively used Delgado, who also started as expected. In order to strengthen the defense, coach Hao Hao boldly used three center backs. At the beginning of the game, Taishan had an advantage. But it didn't last long. In the 10th minute, Wuhan Sanzhen broke the deadlock with the excellent play of their new players. Wei Shihao broke through the triple defense of Taishan and assisted Aziz to score, and Taishan fell behind 0-1.
The early loss of the ball seems to have disrupted Hao Wei's pre-match deployment, and Taishan's offense was difficult to organize an effective attack. Although Chen Pu used the opportunity to test the opponent's goalkeeper Liu Dengzheng with a shot from a breakaway in front of the goal, Taishan's overall offense was in trouble. After the 30th minute, the Taishan team continuous errors, the midfield was suppressed by the opponent, the offensive end more and more lack of power. Hao Wei timely adjustments, early replacement of poor performance Delgado, but at the end of the first half, the score is still 0-1.
The change of side again, Hao Wei continuous substitution, Wang Tong, Liu Binbin, Fellaini and other main players have come on the field, the formation adjusted to 4 back, and strive to strengthen the firepower in the offensive end. Unfortunately, the adjusted tactics have not yet been implemented, Wuhan three towns will once again break the door, Xie Pengfei and Stanchou line to extend the score to 2-0. then, Taishan team more traditional bottom pass play, trying to use Fellaini's physical advantage to break through the defense. Despite the results, Liu Yang and Fellaini both missed good opportunities, and Taishan's offense still lacked changes.
From the whole game, Taishan team has obvious gap with Wuhan Sanzhen in many aspects. First of all, in terms of tactical layout, Taishan still followed the 3 center backs and 4 backs switching strategy of last season, which seems to be flexible, but in fact, it exposes the problem of unclear tactical thinking. On the other hand, Wuhan Three Town still maintains the high intensity pressure on the opponent's midfield and backfield after the addition of new players, and the tactical execution is unified. Hao Wei needs to think deeply about how to find the characteristics of the team in both offense and defense to play the inherent advantages.
Secondly, there is an obvious gap between Taishan's creativity and responsibility on the offensive end and Wuhan's three towns. In the absence of Claesson, Taishan lacked the ability to make a single breakthrough, and players such as Moises, Chen Pu, Delgado and Liu Binbin all performed poorly in the first half. Breaking through is the key to creating chances, and Taishan struggled to break through Wuhan Sanzhen's defense in this regard. In contrast, Wuhan Sanzhen has the ability to break through both foreign and local players.
In the new season, Taishan team not only has to face Wuhan Three Towns, but also has to deal with strong teams such as Shanghai Harbor and Beijing Guoan, and the overall strength is obviously improved. The pressure and challenges they face are far more than last season. With only one week left before the start of the league, it is difficult for Taishan to realize a qualitative change in a short period of time. In the long season, they need to find a solution to the offensive and defensive problems as soon as possible and make timely adjustments, as well as help the new recruits integrate into the team as soon as possible. The road ahead is long and difficult.
