The Joy and Concern Behind Shenhua's Big Win: New Foreign Players Impress, High Number of Goals Conceded Rings Alarm Bell

Special Contribution/Gan Hui In the first match of the new season's Chinese Super League, Shenhua's offense was fully unleashed, scoring 5 goals to defeat Dalian Yingbo 5-3 at home, securing an "opening victory." Previously, Shenhua suffered two consecutive losses and failed to score in two AFC Champions League Elite matches. The CSL victory has somewhat boosted the team's confidence and morale.

This weekend (March 14), Shenhua will travel to Hangzhou Huanglong Sports Center Stadium to face Zhejiang Team, which boasts a luxurious offensive lineup. In the match against Dalian Yingbo, Li Ke and Zhu Chenjie were injured and substituted. Li Ke's injury may have some impact on subsequent matches.

The issue of scoring efficiency in the forward line has been the main reason hindering Shenhua's progress in recent seasons. Especially the scoring efficiency of foreign striker forwards has shown a certain gap compared to main competitors like Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng. Therefore, during the past winter transfer window, Shenhua focused on strengthening the forward line by signing two foreign striker forwards, Guy and Latang.

In the match against Dalian Yingbo, both Guy and Latang scored twice. Guy played a "bridgehead" role, and Latang's ability to seize opportunities was also demonstrated. Guy's performance was particularly outstanding: he scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist; had 5 shots with 3 on target; attempted 4 dribbles with 2 successful; made 16 passes with 14 successful; engaged in 12 aerial duels with 4 successful; and participated in 5 ground duels with 2 successful. As a new player who just joined the team, contributing such data in the first league match of the new season deserves a high evaluation. After the match, Guy also won cheers from Shenhua fans. He said in an interview: "I am happy to have scored goals, but more importantly, the team won. Football is a team project; behind our forwards, many teammates are constantly working hard, so forwards' goals cannot be achieved without teamwork. I don't particularly value titles like top scorer or best player; I care more about our team winning matches."

From the match process, Latang hasn't fully integrated into Shenhua's system yet, but his excellent ability to seize opportunities is precisely what Shenhua has lacked in recent years. Actually, before scoring, Latang was basically invisible, but once an opportunity appeared near the goal, he showed the qualities of an excellent striker, receiving Wu Xi's clever pass and breaking through the opponent's defense to score a very brilliant goal.

Of course, this is only the first round of the league; the effectiveness of Shenhua's new attacking group still needs time and testing against different opponents. However, a good start has been made, and indeed the beginning is the hardest part. Slutsky has high expectations for the two new foreign striker forwards: "Both new foreign striker forwards scored twice, which is certainly excellent from a statistical perspective, but I believe their potential is even greater and there is room for improvement."

In the first league match, another change for Shenhua was that Slutsky used all five substitution slots. Wu Qipeng replacing Li Ke and Yang Shuai replacing Zhu Chenjie were passive substitutions; Yang Haoyu replacing Gao Tianyi, Yang Zexiang replacing Chen Jinyi, and Liu Chenyu replacing Latang were Slutsky's active substitution adjustments. The league is a long process; relying on twelve or thirteen players to support the entire season is unrealistic. With a big lead, allowing more substitute players to enter and adapt to the match rhythm, even if it comes at a small cost, is worthwhile from a long-term perspective.

In the first match of the new season, Shenhua conceded three goals to Dalian Yingbo at home, which also served as a warning bell for the team.

In the 2023 season, Shenhua conceded only 20 goals in 30 league matches. At that time, the team had Amadu in excellent form and the central defender duo "Zhu 5 and Jiang 4." Now, affected by injuries, Amadu has left Shenhua, and Jiang Shenlong is still recuperating; when he can return to training is unknown.

During the past winter transfer window, Shenhua signed domestic central defender Yang Shuai. In the match against Dalian Yingbo, Yang Shuai made a mistake shortly after replacing the injured Zhu Chenjie. He intended to shield the ball by positioning himself, but underestimated Marale's physical strength, was dispossessed, and contributed to the second conceded goal. This mistake is somewhat related to his match experience and feel. After all, last season he only played 17 league matches, with only 9 starts.

Affected by factors like Jiang Shenlong's injury, once the team's midfield and defense face personnel absences due to injuries during the season, the defensive line may face severe tests.

This weekend's away match against Zhejiang Team will be a "test" for Shenhua's midfield and defense. Li Ke and Zhu Chenjie both sustained injuries in the match against Dalian Yingbo and were substituted. Especially Li Ke, his injury may have some impact on upcoming matches.