Is this a lack of ambition?, Shanghai Shenhua will play 1-0 to the end. Shanghai Shenhua | Team | Shenhua
On the evening of June 8th Beijing time, in the 12th round of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua defeated Qingdao Hainiu 1-0 away with a header from Ma Lailai, achieving two consecutive victories. At present, Shenhua has risen to second place in the league standings, one point behind the leader Shanghai Haigang, who missed one round of matches. In 12 matches, Shenhua achieved 6 "1-0" results oriented "pragmatism", which brought unexpected surprises and also attracted some fans' comments of "not striving for progress". What is the connotation behind "1 to 0"?
Shen Hua won this race against the promoted horse not easily. In the first half, Qingdao team had more opportunities, but unfortunately they had a bit of bad luck in front of the goal. Regarding the results, Shenhua head coach Wu Jingui commented, "We had anticipated before the game that it would be a very difficult game to play, but the process was even more difficult than we had anticipated. The opponents played very well, creating opportunities but not seizing them. Sometimes if you miss an opportunity, the opportunity will be taken by the opponent. Today, we are the lucky side."
Ma Lailai header and score
Regarding the current ranking of the team, Wu Jingui said, "I didn't expect it." "This result is a surprise for us. Our players' performance on the field, both in terms of technical and psychological aspects, is becoming more and more mature. Many young players in the team are also a very important age group in Chinese football. I hope they can grow up as soon as possible and play a role in supporting the team."
Indeed, no one expected that Shenhua would achieve its current results. At the beginning of the season, the new Shenhua lineup was mainly composed of young players, and foreign players were also in place to meet the transfer deadline. The club and fans were prepared for this year's transition period for the team.
Five star sports football commentator Liu Yue believes that for this Shenhua team, they cannot expect the team to play magnificent football, but should quickly gather their players together, play more results oriented games, and play more efficient football. If this is the requirement, then Shenhua fans are satisfied.
The seemingly ordinary score of 1-0 is attributed to Shen Hua's continuous progress towards her goal.
Firstly, a score of 1-0 means the team needs to score. Among the 16 teams in the Chinese Super League, currently only Shenhua has scored every game, which also reflects the team's attacking ability and high goal conversion rate. When facing strong teams such as Shanghai Haigang, Beijing Guoan, and Wuhan Sanzhen, Shenhua still scored goals despite almost sacrificing possession, demonstrating the team's execution of defensive counterattack tactics. In this game, Shenhua took 16 shots, 5 shots straight, and scored a goal; Qingdao made 18 shots and 5 shots straight, but ultimately missed the goal. From multiple matches, it can be seen that if Shanghai Shenhua striker Ma Lailai has a stronger ability to seize opportunities or handles key goals more effectively, Shanghai Shenhua's goals are far more than that.
Secondly, 1-0 means zero opponents. Shenhua has conceded 7 goals so far this season, which is the lowest among the 16 teams in the Chinese Super League. It is worth mentioning that this is closely related to the outstanding performance of Shenhua goalkeeper Ma Zhen. In the match against the three towns of Wuhan, several key players from Shenhua were suspended, and Ma Zhen's stable performance ensured that Chengmen did not lose. In the first 6 rounds of the game, he delivered 4 clean sheets to his opponents and only conceded 2 goals, earning him the title of Best Goalkeeper of April by the Chinese Super League official. As Liu Yue said, "The Shenhua team has played multiple games, and their overall defense is very good, and they have been very patient in the game. Although they can play 1-0, it is also difficult to defend 1-0, and everyone needs to have a unified mindset. The Shenhua team has done a good job in this." Currently, Ma Zhen is still in the suspension period, and it is gratifying that substitute goalkeeper Bao Yaxiong has stood up, and his performance is commendable.
Moreover, what cannot be covered by a 1-0 score is that players play their respective roles and bear different responsibilities on the field. The stability of the national defense line composed of Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong, as well as the release of Xu Haoyang and Wang Haijian in the absence of Wu Xi, have all demonstrated the strength of youth; Veterans Yu Hanchao and Cao Yunding have rich experience and are ready to fight as soon as they come, providing more options for the main coach to arrange troops and formations; Foreign player Teixeira doesn't score many goals, but his ability to control the ball in the center and front of the field plays a good role in restraining defensive players, becoming the metronome for the team's offensive and defensive transition. Football is a sport for 11 people, and Shen Hua's team strength cannot be underestimated.
After the end of this round, the Chinese Super League will enter a 20-day interval, and various levels of national teams will also participate in warm-up matches. For Shenhua, this period can be used for rest and recuperation to gather energy for summer combat. However, multiple players have been selected for the training roster of the Chinese national football team and the Asian Games team, which will have a certain degree of impact on the team's next stage of matches.
There are always more ways than difficulties, and a ratio of 1 to 0 is not a lack of ambition. Wu Jingui said, "Although we are currently ranked second, we hope the team does not feel pressure due to ranking constraints. In the future games, we will continue to maintain a low posture, calm our mentality, and play one game at a time."
