Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG booked the league title in advance? Don't make a joke of opening champagne at halftime! ,Quick review: The Chinese Super League is coming to an end
On June 16, the 15th round of the Chinese Super League ended. Shanghai Shenhua was tied 1-1 at home by Chengdu Rongcheng, temporarily leading the standings by 1 point. Due to the postponement of Shanghai Haigang's away game against Meizhou Hakka due to weather reasons, the ranking of the first half of the Chinese Super League will be settled after the make-up game on the 18th.
As of 22:15 on June 16, the standings of the Chinese Super League.
At present, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Haigang are in strong form, leading the third-placed Chengdu Rongcheng by 7 points and 6 points respectively. In the first half of the Chinese Super League, Shenhua and Haigang are the only two teams that remain unbeaten, while Shenhua concedes the fewest goals and Haigang scores the most goals.
As a result, the outside world began to exaggerate: "The Chinese Super League champion has basically settled in Shanghai in advance." In my opinion, Shenhua and Shanghai Port need to keep a clear head. The points lead in the first half does not represent the final ranking. The competition in the second half is more intense, the schedule is tighter, and it will be affected by hot weather and the Chinese national football team's World Cup qualifiers. The two Shanghai professional clubs that are temporarily leading must not make a super joke of "opening champagne at halftime."
Although Shanghai Shenhua, who played one more game, is only one point ahead, it is still the leader in the standings and has handed in the answer sheet for the first half of the Chinese Super League. In contrast, Shanghai Haigang's first half had a taste of starting low and ending high, especially the team's strong offensive power has attracted attention from the outside world. It must be admitted that the two currently unbeaten Shanghai professional club teams are strong contenders for the 2024 Chinese Super League championship.
In the first half, Shenhua temporarily led the league with 11 wins, 4 draws and 37 points in 15 games, especially the amazing data of only 6 goals conceded in 15 games, which showed the team's almost terrifying defensive strength. Compared with Shenhua's almost perfect defensive quality, the magic weapon of another Shanghai Super League club is the mercury-like offense.
Currently, Shanghai Haigang, who has played one game less, ranks second with 36 points from 14 games, 11 wins and 3 draws. They are far ahead of other teams with 46 goals in 14 games. If Shanghai Haigang can win the make-up game on the 18th, they will surpass Shanghai Shenhua and become the leader of the first half of the Chinese Super League.
At present, Shenhua and Shanghai Port are temporarily unbeaten, and both teams are in good form. There are many reasons why the two Shanghai professional teams performed well in the first half of this season's Chinese Super League. First, after the decline of the golden football, many professional clubs with real estate backgrounds have encountered various problems such as financial constraints, but the two Shanghai professional clubs with state-owned enterprise backgrounds have always remained relatively stable, which is the premise for the team's outstanding performance.
Secondly, the foreign head coaches of Shenhua and Shanghai Port have shown a high level of performance. Muscat's offensive construction and Slutsky's defensive arrangement are both unique in the Chinese Super League. Finally, the healthy competition of the Shanghai Derby has promoted the two clubs to catch up with each other. The outstanding performance of the rivals in the same city can often force out a better "self".
Although the Chinese Super League has only finished the first half, it must be admitted that Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port, who are temporarily leading the standings, are indeed strong contenders for the 2024 Chinese Super League championship. If nothing unexpected happens, the Shanghai Derby in the second half of the Chinese Super League is expected to turn into a "Champion Derby", and the outcome of this strong dialogue is likely to dominate the entire process of winning the Chinese Super League championship.
The two Shanghai professional football clubs are currently performing well, which has led to an inference from the outside world: the suspense of winning the Chinese Super League is about to disappear, and the championship trophy is likely to remain in Shanghai. In my opinion, opening champagne at halftime has always been a taboo on the football field. Whether Shenhua or Haigang become the half-time champion, they need to keep a clear head. In the second half of the Chinese Super League, the weather is hotter, the schedule is tighter, and the impact of the Asian Champions League and the national football team games have added uncertainty to the championship process.
On April 13, 2024, in the 6th round of the 2024 Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua drew 1-11 with Beijing Guoan at home.
Entering the season, both professional football teams in Shanghai have the habit of "summer syndrome", especially when the schedule is dense. If they fail to cope with injury control and personnel rotation, Shenhua and Haigang are likely to experience ups and downs in their performance.
In the first half of the 15 games, Shenhua had a trend of starting high and ending low, especially after foreign aid Teixeira suffered an injury, the team's overall combat effectiveness has obviously declined, and the team's technical and tactical play is also slightly monotonous. At home, they were tied 1-1 by Chengdu Rongcheng, and Shenhua's state has obviously declined. If it weren't for the heroic performance of goalkeeper Bao Yaxiong, Shenhua would probably not have been able to maintain a draw.
On May 11, in the 11th round of the Chinese Super League, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers drew 0-0 with Shanghai Shenhua at home.
Head coach Slutsky also admitted after the game: "To be fair, we might have lost this game." In this strong dialogue, Shanghai Shenhua was at a disadvantage in all core data: 9 to 16 behind in shots, 3 to 7 behind in shots on target, and 6 to 13 behind in corner kicks.
Slutsky made it clear: "The game was difficult. In the first half, we lost the ball too quickly after getting it, and our energy was wasted on unnecessary scrambling, losing the ball, and scrambling again. Later, through personnel adjustments, our control of the ball improved, and the situation gradually moved towards a balance. We were both lucky and unlucky. Unfortunately, we lost that own goal, but fortunately, Bao Yaxiong saved the opponent's penalty."
On June 14, in the 15th round of the 2024 Chinese Football Association Super League held in Tianjin, Shanghai Port defeated Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 3-0 away.
Similarly, although Shanghai Haigang is currently unbeaten, it has a history of failing in the summer. In the 2018 season, although Shanghai Haigang won the Chinese Super League championship for the first time in history, it showed signs of collapse due to insufficient rotation of the coaching staff in the hot summer and the intensive schedule. Fortunately, the 2018 Chinese Super League gave way to the Russian World Cup for 55 days, giving Haigang a precious breathing space to adjust and finally lifted the championship trophy in one go.
In the 2024 season, the Chinese Super League will not give way to the European Cup and the Paris Olympics. The intensive schedule has become the biggest obstacle for the two Shanghai teams to win the championship. Take the Shanghai Haigang team as an example. They will face the test of the devil's schedule in June: 5 games in 16 days, 4 of which are away games, and the flight distance is close to 10,000 kilometers, which is a great test of the wisdom and strategy of the coaching staff. What kind of report card can the Haigang team hand in in the June schedule is likely to have a key impact on the championship situation of the Chinese Super League.
In the AFC Champions League, Shenhua and Haigang will play separately. The players' fatigue from fighting on three fronts will definitely affect their performance in the Chinese Super League.
At the same time, the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League will start in September, when Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Haigang will both play in the Chinese Super League, and are likely to face a three-front battle in the Chinese Super League, the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League. Compared with teams such as Chengdu Rongcheng and Beijing Guoan that do not have intercontinental competition tasks, the two Shanghai club teams are very likely to cause players to lose physical strength due to the AFC Champions League, and eventually lose points in the Chinese Super League due to the sluggish state.
Therefore, Shenhua and Haigang need to keep a clear head and face the current situation of leading the Chinese Super League halfway through rationally. Before having their names engraved on the championship trophy, Shenhua and Haigang must not make a joke of "opening champagne at the halfway point".