Shanghai Harbour, who topped the Chinese Super League's price list with 29 million euros, suffered systematic deficiencies in their preparations, with foreign aid not yet all in place, resulting in two consecutive defeats at the start of the season. It was not until the current round of matches with a 2-0 victory over Hebei that the momentum of the losing streak was temporarily halted. They are followed by Shandong Taishan, the runner-up in the Chinese Super League's price list, worth 15.9 million euros, and Wuhan Sanzhen, the third-place finisher, worth 15.25 million euros. Currently, Wuhan Sanzhen is in second place in the table, while Shandong Taishan is temporarily in sixth place with two wins and one loss. However, the season is long and the final results are affected by many factors. Whether the small-cost team's comeback can be sustained, and whether the "All China Class" team can realize effective reinforcement in the summer transfer window in August have become the focus of the league's attention.
Homegrown Major Emerges
With the gradual decrease of foreign coaches in the Chinese Super League, there are now 8 local coaches in charge of Chinese Super League teams, and the proportion of local coaches has almost reached half. Judging from the performance and results of the first three rounds, Wuhan Changjiang head coach Li Jinyu and Dalian Yan head coach Xie Hui have become the best local coaches.
Wuhan Changjiang reached the top of the table with victories over Shanghai Seaport, Hebei and Guangzhou. Although Shanghai Seaport has yet to find their best form, and Hebei and Guangzhou both played with "full Chinese teams", Wuhan Changjiang showed impressive game content. Li Jinyu, who replaced Li Xiaopeng as head coach halfway through last season, is bringing positive changes to the team. Currently, Wuhan Changjiang is focusing on groundwork, and has had excellent possession in all three matches. In the first match against Shanghai Seaport, Li's request for his players to "not delay" was unanimously praised. He emphasized: "I just want the players to play well, and I don't want them to choose other ways to win. I told them to play seriously and send positive energy. In any case, I don't want the players to procrastinate."
Dalian, the newest player in the Chinese Super League who has been preparing for the first division, has brought a new look to the league. "Just press and play" and "play fast, in order to adapt fast, in order to play faster" are the high press and fast-paced offense and defense conversion that Xie Hui brought. Under his leadership, not only the new star Lin Liangming performed well, Yan Xiangguan, who returned to the Chinese Super League, and veteran Shang Yin, who made his debut in the top league, also contributed goals to the team. The young coach Xie Hui is subverting the stereotypical image of local coaches by uniting the inconspicuous individuals into an excellent whole.
