Xie Pengfei's performance has been sluggish recently, a situation that seems to be closely related to his lack of exercise on the field. In the second half of the 2024 season, Xie Pengfei's role in Shanghai Shenhua has changed to that of a bench player. Since September, he has only appeared as a substitute in nine games, accumulating just 133 minutes of playing time, with nothing to show for it, neither goals nor assists. Meanwhile, Xie Pengfei, as a No. 10 player who has played for the national soccer team, has also frequently missed the national team call-ups of Coach Ivan.
It is obvious that Xie Pengfei's playing style is far from Ivan's tactical thinking. In the Chinese Super League, Xie Pengfei is considered to be a skilled attacking midfielder, however, his physical exertion and defensive performance are not outstanding. Because of this, Coach Ivan did not include him in his squad for the recent Top 18 tournament. With his place on the bench at Shanghai Shenhua, Xie's position in the national team is in jeopardy.
In fact, if the 31-year-old Xie Pengfei still wants to pursue higher achievements in soccer, he should probably consider finding another way out of Shanghai Shenhua next season. Otherwise, he will be destined to spend his career on the bench. Currently, Shanghai Shenhua's center midfield mainly relies on foreigners, and local attacking midfielders like Xie Pengfei have no choice but to serve as substitutes. The longer he stays on the bench, the more Xie Pengfei's form will decline, plunging him into a vicious circle.
