Havel's embarrassing countdown to class?, For the first time in the history of Haigang, they missed the AFC Champions League main tournament. Quick review: Shameful elimination from Javier | Foreign aid | Haigang
Despite pouring rain and falling behind in the score, it did not make more than 10000 Hong Kong fans "take the lead". During the competition, the football field of SAIC Pudong was always filled with passionate cheers; After the final whistle, angry roars echoed on the field: "Class is over! It's embarrassing!" On August 22nd, Shanghai Haigang team lost 2-3 to Thailand's Baton United at home, marking the first time in history that they failed to advance to the group stage at home in Shanghai and were shamefully eliminated.
Although Shanghai Haigang team still temporarily leads the Chinese Super League points table, the humiliating defeat of not being able to qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage is unacceptable to fans and has also put head coach Xavier at the volcano. This defeat not only consumed all the dividends of the previous Shanghai derby away victory, but also completely exposed the three major weaknesses of the Spanish team. It is reported that Javier has signed a 1+1 contract with Shanghai Port team, and even if he can persist until the end of the season, he may not be able to obtain a renewal contract.
Weak point one: Unbalanced attack and defense, new reinforcements disrupting the original order
In this game, the imbalance between attack and defense of the Port team has once again erupted, especially in high-level intercontinental competitions such as the AFC Champions League qualifiers, where the confrontation is stronger and the pace is faster, the problems of the Port team have also been exposed more thoroughly. Shanghai Haigang team conceded three goals early in the game, indicating that head coach Javier was completely lost. Especially with the addition of his specially appointed center foreign player Jo ã o, it actually disrupted the team's original winning rhythm and offensive and defensive order.
In the first half, the Shanghai Port team had an imbalance in attack and defense, and after the whole team pressed forward to attack, they were unable to return to their positions and defend in a timely manner. Baton United had two goals scored by forward Sergeyev in the first half, and then the Port team had one goal scored by Maitijiang World Wave; In the second half, Sergeyev expanded the score and scored a hat trick, while the substitute foreign player Vargas from the Port team assisted Pingko in scoring a goal. In the final moments, the Port team launched a fierce attack, but Wu Lei missed the chance to draw and ultimately lost 2-3 at home, facing a humiliating defeat.
Overall, the Haigang team has introduced a new center, Jo Ang, during their summer break. However, in recent games where he has started consecutively, the Haigang team has not only seen a significant decline in performance, but also seen a sharp increase in the number of goals conceded. At home against Zhejiang team, Haigang team lost 3-4 and their defense was basically like paper; Facing Meizhou Hakka at home, the defense of the Port team was also unstable, and they could only rely on Oscar's long-range shot to barely equalize; In the face of Thailand's Baton United this time, Jo ã o, who still starts, still lacks a strong sense of presence. His defensive initiative is not strong enough, coupled with Oscar and Wu Lei's lack of physical fitness, which leads to a lack of defensive enthusiasm, directly causing the team's offensive and defensive imbalance, with three consecutive home lightning strikes.
Weak point two: unwilling to rotate, using a set of lineups to the end
After receiving the starting lineup at the beginning, the author took a breath of cold air: the starting lineup of Shanghai Haigang team is really too old, in other words, it pays too much attention to seniority in terms of ranking. As a meritorious player in the first phase of Chongming Island, 34 year old Zhang Linpeng plays as a center back, while 34 year old Lv Wenjun and Wang Shenchao play as full backs. Along with 29 year old Jiang Guangtai, this four man defensive line reaches 131 years old.
Experienced veterans will always be the wealth of a team, but the coaching staff needs to do a good job of matching old and new players, so that the physical strength of young players and the consciousness of veterans can be better combined, producing chemical reactions. Unfortunately, the overall lineup of the Port team in this game is too old to cope with the dense schedule, especially the continuous battles in the hot summer. On August 18th, this group of veteran players gave their all to help the Haigang team to a difficult 1-1 draw with the Meizhou Hakka team; In just three days, the bodies of these 34 year old veterans are no longer recovering as easily and quickly as they used to be. They are relying more on experience and willpower to persevere.
This is reflected in the competition on the court, where the veteran players at the harbor are clearly unable to run and have a slow reaction. Whether it's the defensive gap of Zhang Linpeng and other defenders, or the missed opportunities of forwards Wu Lei, Oscar and others in front of the goal, it's not their lack of technical ability, but their obvious lack of physical strength - physical strength is the foundation of competitive sports.
The two goals of the Port team were also scored by fresh energy: Maitijiang scored a world-class goal, and he had a good rest in the league three days ago but did not make an appearance; Foreign player Ping Ke, who scored the second goal, has almost always been on the bench this season, but has been full of energy since his debut; Including the foreign player Vargas who came on as a substitute and provided assists, it also stems from his recent role as a substitute and having sufficient physical strength. Obviously, the starting lineup of the Port team in this game is too old, and the players are also too tired.
Unfortunately, Javier's proactive rotation was clearly insufficient, especially for the Chongming Island first team members represented by Oscar and Zhang Linpeng, who lacked opportunities for rest rotation. The veteran players do have fuel in their tanks, but they cannot withstand the coaching staff's relentless use of a single lineup. In the intensive competition, this group of veteran players finally staged a tragic scene of "having the intention to kill the enemy but unable to return to heaven".
Weak point three: Foreign player bias, ignoring the team's interests as the top priority
It must be acknowledged that the humiliating failure of the Port team in the AFC Champions League qualifiers is also related to Javier's bias in using foreign players. Compared to their opponents in the Chinese Super League, the Hakka teams in Zhejiang and Meizhou are determined to use four foreign players as their starting lineup, including their opponents in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, Baton United, who also send as many foreign players as possible. Javier's use of foreign players is not only stubborn, but also somewhat against common sense.
The Port team faced Baton United, and Javier only arranged for Oscar and Joon as foreign players to start. Oscar was clearly physically exhausted, and Joon's physical condition did not meet the starting requirements. In the second half, Javier replaced wingers such as Vargas with high center Joachim, which also meant strengthening the cross from the sidelines but without any flanking points in the middle. After the game, some Shanghai media directly asked, "Is this substitution contradictory?" Javier explained reluctantly, "I didn't expect to be 0-2 behind, which made the team feel nervous and the position on the field was not particularly reasonable."
In the author's opinion, the use of foreign players by the Port team has been unreasonable since the season, and there is bias against some foreign players, neglecting the team's interests as the top priority. Taking Ping Ke as an example, he didn't have many opportunities before, but after this game, he was very proactive and used his keen sense to score a goal. Obviously, in previous matches, foreign players such as Pinker and Vargas were well deserved to have more playing time.
This humiliating defeat also proves that Javier and the coaching staff of the Port team have not found the best tactical combination in the allocation and use of foreign players, nor have they truly achieved the goal of prioritizing team interests. Even if his chosen foreign player Jo ã o is not in good form, he has been starting continuously. Some foreign players are unable to get more opportunities to play, which raises suspicions that Javier's use of foreign players is more concerned with worldly wisdom, and there may be suspicions that his technical and tactical thinking is detached from the team's top priority.
