Reporter Chen Yong reports Leading 3-0 at kickoff and 4-1 early in the second half, Taishan fans believed the match against Yunnan Yukun would be as easy as the previous game against Liaoning Tieren. However, to their surprise, Yunnan Yukun scored two consecutive goals after substitutions, putting Taishan's defense on high alert. Taishan ultimately won 4-3, but the process was nerve-wracking.

After the match, some fans expressed dissatisfaction, believing the coaching staff's in-game adjustments were inadequate. For Han Peng and his coaching team, there are certainly points to review or reflect on, but the bigger issue lies in the team's excessively thin squad depth. Moderate reinforcements have become a major demand among Taishan fans.

A Barely Assembled 23-Player Roster

In this round of the Chinese Super League, Taishan barely fielded 23 players by including four goalkeepers and one injured player. On the bench, aside from the injured Crysan, reportedly departing Duan Liuyu, goalkeeper Sun Qihang, and forward Li Xiaoheng, the remaining eight players were all U22 players.

Goalkeepers are rarely substituted unless injured, and Crysan's injury still requires protection. Duan Liuyu could have played, but he is reportedly about to leave the team, likely to join Yunnan Yukun. As a result, the only non-young player Taishan could substitute in this match was Li Xiaoheng, plus the more frequently used young player Yimulan, giving them only two theoretically reliable players.

Han Peng substituted Yimulan at the start of the second half and Li Xiaoheng in the 68th minute, leaving him with very limited room for further adjustments. A non-standard option would have been to bring on Shi Songchen and switch to a five-back formation to strengthen the defense against the opponent's late moves—an effective approach, as Yunnan Yukun's three substitutes, Kleber, Huang Zichang, and Tang Miao, all aimed to bolster the attack and wings. But that is hindsight.

Beyond the thin bench, Taishan's marking and man-tracking were notably poor. On the first goal conceded, there were eight Taishan defenders in the box against only five Yunnan players, yet the defense still failed due to loose marking. On the second goal, two Taishan players collided, then five players surrounded Kleber, but the ball somehow slipped through, leading to a penalty—a somewhat unusual goal. The third goal also stemmed from poor marking.

In fact, many Taishan players were in poor form during this match. Some starters performed below par, and the substitutes made almost no impact.

Taishan's Lack of Players in Their Prime

This season, Taishan's 35-player registered squad is composed as follows: Foreign players (5): Crysan, Zeca, Kazaiyshvili, Madruga, and Alvaro; Veterans (5): Wang Dalei, Zheng Zheng, Wang Tong, Liu Binbin, and Li Yuanyi; Prime-age/mid-generation players (8): Liu Yang, Gao Zhunyi, Chen Pu, Huang Zhengyu, Duan Liuyu, Zhao Jianfei, Xie Wenneng, and Sun Qihang (goalkeeper); Non-B-list young players (7): Mai Wulang, Yu Jinyong (goalkeeper), Yin Jiaxi, Xiemuxiding, Yang Ruiqi, Peng Xiao, and Shi Songchen; B-list U21 players (8): Chen Zeshi, Liu Qiwei (goalkeeper), Yimulan, Mei Shuaijun, Peng Yixiang, Qi Qiancheng, Wang Yuxuan, and Lu Junwei; Naturalized/special players (2): Delgado and Li Xiaoheng.

With Liu Binbin and Zhao Jianfei leaving, Taishan's roster now has only 33 players. Duan Liuyu is also set to depart. Wang Yuxuan, Mei Shuaijun, and Qi Qiancheng are focused on Taishan's B team, leaving the first team with 29 actual players. Among these, Lu Junwei and Peng Yixiang rotate between the first team and B team, while Delgado is essentially unused.

Excluding pure substitutes, Taishan's rotation squad is effectively only 19 players: Crysan, Zeca, Kazaiyshvili, Madruga, Alvaro, Wang Dalei, Zheng Zheng, Wang Tong, Li Yuanyi, Liu Yang, Gao Zhunyi, Chen Pu, Huang Zhengyu, Xie Wenneng, Mai Wulang, Peng Xiao, Chen Zeshi, Yimulan, and Li Xiaoheng. Shi Songchen is occasionally used mainly for development, and young goalkeepers are used when Wang Dalei is absent.

Li Yuanyi's injury situation is not optimistic, and Chen Zeshi is also injured. Crysan and Alvaro are likewise on the injury list. Xie Wenneng suffered muscle discomfort in this round, and Zheng Zheng was suspended due to a red card. As a result, in the match against Yunnan Yukun, Taishan's 19-player rotation pool was reduced to just 13 players—an extreme situation.

It should be noted that for Taishan, loaning or transferring out players who rarely get playing time helps foster a youth-oriented atmosphere, which is crucial. Taishan's initial 35-player roster had a 53.5% proportion of young players (excluding foreign/naturalized/special players). After adjustments, the proportion of young players has risen to nearly 60%, undoubtedly creating a very positive internal environment for them.

However, the thin squad is indeed a real issue. The foundation of youth development requires both a good internal atmosphere and stable results. Only with consistent results can young players improve both their experience and confidence. Taishan must pay attention to squad depth. At the same time, during the youth transition, accurate assessments of young players' future potential are necessary.

Overall, Taishan needs to sign one or two players during this international break to strengthen squad depth; otherwise, similar predicaments like the one against Yunnan Yukun may recur. In the post-match press conference, Su Maozhen also expressed hope to bring in proven mid-generation players who have been tested in the Chinese Super League. Fans are eagerly awaiting Taishan's moves in the final 10 days of the transfer window.