Late in the evening of November 27th, the East Asian Champions League saw Shanghai Shenhua visit South Korea's Gwangju, a Chinese Super League (CSL) powerhouse. The battle was in full swing, but Shanghai Shenhua suffered an embarrassing draw at the crucial moment, which not only marked their first defeat in the AFC Champions League, but also made them lose consecutively in this tournament, dropping them to the sixth place in the East Asia Region, and casting a shadow over their road to promotion.
This game is not only a test of Shanghai Shenhua's technical and tactical ability, but also a comprehensive test of the team's recent state of preparation. After the match, Shenhua coach Slutsky was blunt in the press conference, revealing the key to the team's loss.
Slutsky began by pointing out the significant gap between Shenhua and Gwangju in terms of offensive and defensive transitions and speed. He said: "Observing the whole game, the rhythm of our offensive and defensive transitions lagged behind, making it difficult for us to synchronize with our opponents. Gwangju showed a faster pace of play and stronger teamwork, which made us look more passive in the game."
Slutsky's speech reflected a deep reflection on the team's current situation. He believes that Shanghai Shenhua's form has declined due to a long period of time without official matches, the players' rhythm on the field is obviously slower than that of their opponents, and both starters and substitutes are unable to adapt to the rhythm of the game quickly, which in turn affects the team's performance in both offense and defense. Slutsky's words are undoubtedly the root cause of Shanghai Shenhua's loss to Gwangju in the match.
Speaking about his team's specific performance, Slutsky said, "Our players appeared to be a bit slow in the game, lagging behind our opponents in terms of reaction time and frequency of movement, which put us at a disadvantage in fighting for possession, defending against opponents' attacks, and quick counterattacks. Additionally, our mistakes in passing and receiving further exacerbated the passivity on the field."
Despite the loss, Slutsky did not lose confidence in his team. He emphasized that Shanghai Shenhua's players will have a clearer understanding of their shortcomings and areas for improvement after this loss. Next week, the team will return home to meet the challenge of the AFC Champions League again, facing the last ranked team in the East Asian region, Ulsan HD, South Korea, Slutsky and his team will certainly give their best. According to the schedule of the elite AFC Champions League, Shanghai Shenhua's chances of defeating Ulsan HD are quite high as long as they play at their normal level. Expect Shanghai Shenhua to regain their confidence and show their Chinese fans what they are made of once again.
